He will meet with first responders, but only because his handlers are smart enough not to get him within feet of any victims, especially in El Paso where he is not liked for his rhetoric. As for Dayton….
White House shuts out press at Trump’s Ohio hospital visit – no photographs or questions
— Charlie Spiering (@charliespiering) August 7, 2019
Right. It would be embarrassing if they cussed him out to his face.
Rep. Veronica Escobar, who represents the El Paso area, and her predecessor in that seat, former Rep. Beto O’Rourke, have both publicly asked Trump not to visit the city while it’s still grieving 22 murders committed by a white supremacist Trump supporter.
A petition coming from “the nurses, physicians, and medical staff who have cared for those injured and killed in the terrorist attack on our community” called on the hospital Trump will be visiting to reject his visit, because “Given President Trump’s rhetoric on immigration, we believe that a visit to our medical campus will be harmful for both the families affected and medical teams caring for those families.”
So there’s that. And last night Trump, shortly after calling for unity against racism, broke his own words:
24 hours ago, in front of a teleprompter, Trump said this:
— Michael Barbaro (@mikiebarb) August 7, 2019
“Now is the time to set destructive partisanship aside, so destructive, and find the courage to answer hatred with unity, devotion, and love.”
Tonight on Twitter, he said this: https://t.co/Lur9v90nzo
He’s leaving the White House as I type this, and having a gaggle with reporters:
REPORTER: You and the El Paso shooter used the same language. Did you regret that?
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 7, 2019
TRUMP: “I think illegal immigration is a terrible thing for this country. I think you have to come in legally.”
(He did not indicate he has any regrets about his “invasion” rhetoric.) pic.twitter.com/GBmVDEs7JU
President Trump: “The Dayton situation, he was a fan of Antifa. He was a fan of Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. Nothing to do with Trump, but nobody ever mentions that.” pic.twitter.com/vLGEV2hH9m
— The Hill (@thehill) August 7, 2019
He may as well say, “I don’t like his methods, but the killer had a point.” Awful, reprehensible, totally predictable.
Trump today: “I think we can do something on background checks like we’ve never done before.”
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) August 7, 2019
Trump in 2018 after Parkland shooting: “We’re going to be very strong on background checks. We’re going to be doing very strong background checks.”
Meanwhile, the whole country has a mild form of unsettling PTSD, as this happened last night.
Backfiring motorcycles were mistaken for gunshots from an active shooter, causing panic in Times Square on Tuesday. https://t.co/csPgn0DTcr pic.twitter.com/OD3PufD7yv
— CNN (@CNN) August 7, 2019
People ran into theaters. Hamilton and To Kill A Mockingbird had to stop their shows temporarily.
There was also panic at a Baton Rouge, LA Walmart.
Oh, and not for nothing, the Dow Jones, which fell 767 points on Monday, regained 311 points yesterday. And today after opening one hour ago? It’s down 450 points.
UPDATE –The Dayton Daily News reports:
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump visited victims today from Sunday’s mass shooting in the Oregon District. “You had God watching. I want you to know we’re with you all the way,” Trump said to one of the victims, according to Press Secretary Stephanie Graham.
Media was not allowed to be with the president and first lady as they visited victims. “We will be meeting with first responders, law enforcement and some of the victims,” President Trump said Wednesday.
When asked about comments Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley and political leaders in Texas made about his “rhetoric” on guns, the president said “they are trying to make political points.” Trump spoke to Whaley as he got off of Air Force One at the base. The mayor and Sen. Sherrod Brown plan to talk about the visit later today.
“Trump did not speak publicly or allow himself to be photographed. … The visit to Dayton was a marked break with tradition, as presidents visiting grieving communities typically offer public condolences and use the opportunity to try to comfort the nation.” https://t.co/QiMyqDoiYa
— George Conway (@gtconway3d) August 7, 2019
There’s some disagreement about how the Dayton visit went. We’ll probably never know, since the press was permitted to be there.
Unclear what WH is disputing. Sherrod Brown said Trump was well received by the patients. “They were hurting. He was comforting. He did the right things, Melania did the right things. And it’s his job in part to comfort people. I’m glad he did it in those hospital rooms.” https://t.co/jRMgVfp1IE
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) August 7, 2019
This is confusing. Brown said of Trump: "He was received well by the patients, as you’d expect. They were hurting, he was comforting. He did the right things, Melania did the right things." https://t.co/unun6ATX8o
— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) August 7, 2019
Sherrod Brown did say this though…
Q: Don't both parties take blame in the inability to find a solution to these mass shootings?
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) August 7, 2019
Sen. Sherrod Brown: "No. No. No … We can't get anything done in the Senate because Mitch McConnell and the president of the United States are in bed with the gun lobby."
Via ABC pic.twitter.com/I1LiM3mwf5
Trump is due to arrive in El Paso around 3pm EDT.
Jesus. He just left one group of victims and is going to where another place where 22 people were killed. And THIS is what is on his mind?
Two notes on Trump's tweet hitting Biden:
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) August 7, 2019
1. He sent the tweet in between visits to the victims of two separate mass shootings
2. He told reporters this morning that he "would like to stay out of the political fray."
Anywqy, this is what the President was referring to:
Former Vice President Joe Biden, a Democrat who is running for president, criticized President Trump’s response to the shootings this week, saying the President has “fanned the flames of white supremacy.”
“His low energy, vacant-eyed mouthing of the words written for him condemning white supremacists this week. I don’t believe fooled anyone at home or abroad. The energetic embrace of this President by the darkest hearts and most hate-filled minds in this country say it all,” Biden told supporters today.
Biden went on to explain why he thinks Trump “encourages and emboldens” hate.
“How far is it from Trump saying this is an invasion to the shooter in El Paso declaring, ‘This attack is a response to the hispanic invasion of Texas?’ How far apart are those comments? How far is it from white supremacists and Neo-Nazis in Charlottesville, Trump’s very fine people chanting, ‘You will replace us’ to the shooter at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, saying, ‘We’re committing genocide,’ ‘Jews are committing genocide on his people.’ I don’t think it’s that far at all.
He continued: “It’s both clear language and in code, this President has fanned the flames of white supremacy in this nation.”
Four pictures probably taken within 30 seconds of each other
President @realDonaldTrump with the incredible medical staff at Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, Ohio today. Some extremely powerful moments throughout the entire visit, with so much enthusiasm and love, contrary to what the Trump Hating Dems would ever share or say. pic.twitter.com/Wpvf2zPDRd
— Dan Scavino Jr.🇺🇸 (@Scavino45) August 7, 2019
Trump was there for an hour.
Watching Fake News CNN is better than watching Shepard Smith, the lowest rated show on @FoxNews. Actually, whenever possible, I turn to @OANN!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 7, 2019