I guess he's trying to rally his base again.
Probably not in Ohio or Texas.
How FUCKING presidential!
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/don...eving-n1039876
Trump lashes out before visiting Dayton and El Paso
The president defended his anti-immigration rhetoric, saying it "brings people together."
Trump continues to call undocumented immigration a 'terrible thing for our country'
AUG. 7, 201901:05
Aug. 7, 2019, 6:43 AM CDT / Updated Aug. 7, 2019, 12:02 PM CDT
By Shannon Pettypiece and Adam Edelman
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump defended his anti-immigration rhetoric on Wednesday, saying it was uniting the country, hours after slamming Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke for saying that the president's "racism" was responsible for the recent mass shooting that left nearly two dozen people dead in O'Rourke's hometown, El Paso, Texas.
"It brings people together," Trump said of his language. "Our country is doing incredibly well."
He continued to call illegal immigration a "terrible thing for our country" while saying he has toned down his rhetoric.
Shortly before Trump left the White House on Wednesday to meet with first responders and shooting victims in El Paso and Dayton, Ohio, the site of another mass shooting this weekend, he tweeted that O'Rourke used a "phony name to indicate Hispanic heritage" and told him to "be quiet!"
O'Rourke, whose full name is Robert Francis O'Rourke and has long been called by his childhood nickname, responded in a tweet saying “22 people in my hometown are dead after an act of terror inspired by your racism.”
Trump was expected to draw a chilly reception in both cities. While the president will seek to play consoler-in-chief, his visit has drawn increasing criticism from elected officials over his inaction on gun regulations and his divisive stance toward immigrants. Protests were planned in both cities.
Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
Beto (phony name to indicate Hispanic heritage) O’Rourke, who is embarrassed by my last visit to the Great State of Texas, where I trounced him, and is now even more embarrassed by polling at 1% in the Democrat Primary, should respect the victims & law enforcement - & be quiet!
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10:57 PM - Aug 6, 2019
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Beto O'Rourke
✔
@BetoORourke
22 people in my hometown are dead after an act of terror inspired by your racism. El Paso will not be quiet and neither will I. https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/...50196560171014 …
Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
Beto (phony name to indicate Hispanic heritage) O’Rourke, who is embarrassed by my last visit to the Great State of Texas, where I trounced him, and is now even more embarrassed by polling at 1% in the Democrat Primary, should respect the victims & law enforcement - & be quiet!
288K
12:04 AM - Aug 7, 2019
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Outside the Dayton hospital that the president was scheduled to visit, protestors inflated a large balloon of Trump as a baby, with signs reading "you are why" and "words have consequences." Another group of protestors gathered near the site of the shooting, chanting, "Do something."
“His rhetoric has been painful for many in our community, and I think people should stand up and say they are not happy if they are not happy he’s coming,” Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley told reporters.
Trump defended himself before leaving the White House, telling reporters that criticism of him was politically motivated. He placed the blame for the scourge of mass shootings that have marked his presidency on mental illness and a culture of violence.
“These are people who are looking for political gain, and as much as possible I try to stay out of that,” Trump told reporters.
Trump said that he supports stronger background checks and limits on allowing people with mental illness to have access to guns. He said Wednesday that he believes Congress will be able to reach a deal on gun control legislation, but he doesn't expect that to include limits on assault-style weapons.
“I have had many talks over the last few days, and I think we are going to come up with something that’s gong to be really, really good,” Trump said.
But the president's critics have said his actions have contributed to the problem and stoked violence against minorities. Just before the attack in El Paso on Saturday morning, police believe the shooter posted a diatribe against immigrants in Texas, and spoke of preserving European identity in America.
“We have a president right now who traffics in this hatred, who incites this violence, who calls Mexican immigrants rapists and criminals, calls asylum-seekers animals and an infestation,” O’Rourke said Sunday at a vigil for the victims.
Trump, meanwhile, sought to link the Dayton shooter to Democratic presidential candidates Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, saying the shooting had nothing to do with him. Police have not yet released a motive in the Dayton shooting, and there has as yet been no indication that it was politically motivated.
On his Twitter account, the Dayton shooter posted on a range of topics, including anti-fascist ideology. He also referred to Sanders and Warren in a single tweet, though it was not clear whether it was a statement of support.
