Trump visits the grieving and stokes divisions
DAYTON, Ohio — President Trump began a day set aside for healing in Dayton and El Paso by lashing out against his political rivals and the news media, employing the kind of divisive language that prompted protests in both cities even before he arrived.
He mocked Beto O’Rourke, a Democratic candidate for president who once represented El Paso in Congress, for having a “phony name to indicate Hispanic heritage” and he linked the Dayton shooter to liberal politicians. Later, in comments to reporters, Trump repeated attacks on illegal immigrants and called another Democratic presidential candidate, former Vice President Joe Biden, “a pretty incompetent guy” who has “truly lost his fastball.”
The president held back from making any further public statements once he arrived in Dayton on Wednesday morning, visiting privately with families and victims of the city’s weekend massacre as well as emergency and hospital workers. But even as his spokeswoman said the event was never designed as a photo op, Dan Scavino, the president’s social media director, posted on Twitter pictures from inside Miami Valley Hospital.
“The President was treated like a Rock Star inside the hospital, which was all caught on video,” he tweeted. “They all loved seeing their great President!”
Nan Whaley, the Democratic mayor of Dayton, and Sen. Sherrod Brown, DOhio, joined Trump on the visit to the hospital and said they each pressed the president to take more aggressive action to pass gun control legislation after this weekend’s shootings in the two cities, which left 31 people dead.
Brown and Whaley said the president refused to commit to signing a universal background check bill, but told them that he would “get things done.” Earlier in the day, Trump told reporters that he supported background checks, but did not provide details about what legislation he might sign.
Flying on Air Force One, Trump attacked the senator and the mayor on Twitter, saying they had misrepresented what happened inside the hospital.
“Their news conference after I left for El Paso was a fraud,” the president wrote. “It bore no resemblance to what took place.”
Scavino added on Twitter: “They are disgraceful politicians, doing nothing but politicizing a mass shooting, at every turn they can.”
Trump’s motorcade from the Dayton airport passed two recreational vehicles adorned with proTrump signs and flags, as well as one man standing outside a store advertising survival supplies with a sign that appeared to object to socalled redflag laws that prevent people with mental illness from getting guns: “Red Flag Is Dystopic Future.”
But Trump’s visit was also met with small groups of protesters who gathered to say that he was not welcome in their community, waving signs that said “Dump Trump” and “Do Something!” The protesters were met by counterdemonstrators who waved signs supportive of Trump.
The main protest of about a hundred people materialized along a stretch of South Main Street, in a grassy field a few blocks from the hospital where Trump was visiting some of the shooting victims.
Trump did not arrive in El Paso until about 4:30 p.m. Eastern time, but as in Dayton, protesters gathered before his arrival, demonstrating their anger about what they said was his divisive language and unwillingness to push for aggressive gun control measures.