President denounces shootings, vows changes
Trump: We must stop years-long problem
BRIDGEWATER, N.J. — President Donald Trump denounced two mass shootings in Ohio and Texas, saying “hate has no place in our country.”
Addressing reporters in Morristown, New Jersey, Trump said Sunday that “we’re going to take care” of the problem. He says he has been speaking to the attorney general, FBI director and members of Congress and will make an additional statement today.
Trump pointed to a mental illness problem in the U.S., calling the shooters “really very seriously mentally ill.”
He says the problem of shootings has been going on “for years and years” and “we have to get it stopped.”
The shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, over the weekend left at least 29 people dead. Investigators focused on whether the El Paso attack was a hate crime after the emergence of a racist, anti-immigrant manifesto that was posted online, Detectives sought to determine if it was written by the man who was arrested.
White House aides said the president has been receiving updates about both shootings.
“The FBI, local and state law enforcement are working together in El Paso and in Dayton, Ohio,” Trump tweeted Sunday morning. “God bless the people of El Paso, Texas. God bless the people of Dayton, Ohio.”
His first tweet after the El Paso shooting on Saturday hit similar notes, with Trump calling it “terrible” and promising the full support of the federal government.
The motive for the Dayton shooting, which happened in a popular nightlife district, was not immediately known.
Federal officials said they were treating the El Paso attack as a domestic terrorism case.
Trump ordered flags to be lowered to half-staff in remembrance of both shootings.
Acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney defended the president’s response, saying Trump was “a combination of saddened by this and he’s angry about it.” Mulvaney said Trump’s first call was “to the attorney general to find out what we could do to prevent this type of thing from happening.”
“These are sick people,” he said. “And we need to figure out what we can do to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”
Mulvaney focused on the challenges of mental illness and largely avoided the notion of supporting widespread gun control measures, though he pointed out the administration banned bump stocks. Trump, who has enjoyed deep support from the National Rifle Association gun lobbying group, has stayed away from most gun control measures.
The top Democrat in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, urged Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to call an emergency session to put a Housepassed bill on universal background checks up for debate and a vote “immediately.”