Enough! Enough with the grief ceremonies. We,collectively,MUST end this mass killing by
limiting who gets guns in this country. And
how dare this President pretend he cares.
He has no shame. He is responsible for this
slaughter. He and all those who support hate.
If fraudster Trump wanted to create Unity, he would propose passing immigration reform which would include building more immigration courts, having more immigration judges to handle requests for asylum which our country must consider under the supremacy clause of the United States Constitution because we are a signatory to an international treaty requiring this country to consider asylum requests.
2
Trump blames mental illness and video games for these mass shootings when, in reality, many other countries having both mental health problems and violent video games have few or no problems with murders of this kind. The reason? They have very strict gun control laws and a paucity of weapons. How long will it take for this president and this Republican-controlled Senate to wake up to that fact? They accept millions of dollars from the NRA and are expected to do what the NRA wants them to do - ignore the consequences of lax gun control or blame mass shootings on their familiar scapegoats. Don't expect much action on gun control legislation until the Senate and presidency are safely in the hands of Democrats.
1
He is being covered, and his behavior compared to the historic behavior of a normal individual in the White House. A president is a president is a president? No! This is something entirely different. And the media hasn’t figured out how to talk about him. So, there are panels of analysts who are using old models to describe something totally new and off the charts. And, it isn’t working.
3
I hope POTUS does go the both Dayton and El Paso. And I hope no one shows up.
Disgusting behavior on the part of someone who is supposed to represent all of America.
2
...and if he stayed away, then what would everyone say... He's cold and heartless?
@TB
Either way, he's cold and heartless.
4
@TB He IS cold and heartless.
1
He should.
He definitely should go.
A few paid protestors should not stop the president from showing up and facing the music.
Should the fire department stop because dogs are barking? Or the subway stop because of the rats on the way?
No.
Let him be the president and do a presidential thing.
Critics will never ever forgive the fact he breaths air, and Liberals hate him with a passion I’ve only seen in true hard core supremacists when they spoke of Obama. So ignore them, nothing good ever came from people filled with hate. No one should stop because of critics who themselves produce nothing at all but noise.
@AutumnLeaf
For one moment I misunderstood when you said, "He definitely should go," and agreed whole-heartedly.
1
As a country, our relationship with Trump is like a marriage to an abusive partner. First the attacks, insults, threats, intimidation, then the conciliatory promises of better behavior and a better life.
It is delusional to think that he will live up to some standard of integrity, that he will stop trying to fragment our country into racial camps, opposing allegiances, the rich against the middle class, and the isolation of the poor.
His visits to the sites of these mass murders are sickening. He pretends to offer comfort, but he hasn't any to give. His crocodile tears are shameful. He has led us into this terrible state of affairs and, like the classic abuser, he denies that he had any part in getting us here.
7
Three things we can do to move on:
1. Stop talking about mental health as the cause- only 4% of these events are caused by people with mental health problems- access to weapons of war is the pressing problem
2. Ban assault weapons- not even the NRA can make a legitimate case why these are needed.
3. Pass background check and the 'red flag' laws- it won't solve 100% of the problem but it will start by addressing the worst of it.
4
@jrciii Straight & simple analysis. Maybe this time Rs will embrace these recommendations & act like real Americans. Alas I doubt it...
Gloating over his power.
NYT Really?! "Mixed feelings"? How about anguish and rage. 45 is complicit as if he pulled the trigger.
6
All this "winning" is killing us.
6
Mr. Trump:
1. Why aren’t you going to Gilroy today?
2. Stop describing your “free speech” as rhetoric. It is dangerous and hate-filled jabberwocky.
3. Do the world a favor - stop tweeting.
4. Why haven’t your rabid defenders Lindsay Graham, Ratcliffe, Barr, Jordan spoken out?
No need to answer the rhetorical questions - I know your answers.
3
One of the defining features of the Trump presidency is how many events he really isn't welcome at, and how many prominent people don't attend his events. In fact, sometimes Trump announces in advance he doesn't plan to attend some function because he knows people don't want him there.
4
@Madeline Conant
That has been true since Day 1. Hillary gave a nice little concession speech but didn't mean a single word of it. Nor did any of her followers. See how that works out for you in 2020 by the way.
@GregP Those who support the man are as bad as he is.
Just in, a report of another gunman, in Northern VA, near Tyson's Corner (A huge mall in a very crowded/developed area just off the beltway around DC) and an office building housing media offices...in case we wondered when and where the next attack would be.
Trump isn't visiting grieving communities in an attempt to do anything other than check off a "president" box that someone told him he had to. These visits are nothing more than a cynical attempt at plausible deniability of Trump being what Trump truly is: racist, mean, and feeble. I hope he gets booed off the stage.
5
DT expressed sympathy via tweet. Really?
No thank you.
3
Trump is a "kinder & gentler white supremacist".
3
It seems the Mayor of El Paso, Dee Margo, has forgotten that Trump began his campaign calling Mexicans "rapists." And that was only the beginning of Trump's tirades against immigrants and people of color. Yes, his "respect" for the President outweighs personal reservations? Typical Republican putting party before country.
5
Grief is something each individual has to confront alone and with the support of others if they choose. That relationship is one of choice and to find or accept solace from others. No one should walk into that uninvited, out of respect. It is a photo op at the expense of self-promotion. This should not be about political identity. It is a disregard for the self-identity of others. Trump mockingly said he could "act" presidential. No one is acting their pain. We are all worth a better leader of this country.
171
@RB
What about his supporters who are grieving? Or do they not count because they are unenlightened, and are probably in the minority? Comfort is reserved only for the majority? How about the idea that his detractors not appear at his visit? The opposite of love is not hate; it's indifference. If you don't like him, don't go. Instead, we can expect that those seeking comfort from him will have to endure taunts, disrespect from Beto O'Rourke, and a little scorn to mix with the tears.
4
@TexasR How about a President who understands what "E Pluribus Unum" means? Who actually, in his words and deeds, routinely aims to unite citizens of all creeds and colors, whether they voted for him or not? How about the idea that when a President offers comfort in a time of national tragedy, citizens of every political persuasion actually believe that he is being sincere? Every single President in my lifetime could do that. Except this one. When we have to resort to talking about the reactions of the "supporters" and "detractors" of the President during a moment of national sorrow, we have lost our way.
9
@TexasR
I'm sorry, really I am but I find it hard to believer there are any.
2
Trump has a combative personality. He can rarely resist the urge to attack, insult, and verbally abuse people. He then is offended when many of those people want little or nothing to do with him. He attacks other political leaders and then whines when those leaders don't jump at the chance to do what he wants. He sometimes appears to not remember what he has said or tweeted an hour ago. He is an embarrassment to our country.
288
@David Nice the scary part of it all is the people who actually voted for him
10
@David Nice
He remembers. He's just acting and lying again.
2
Just saw Trump sent a tweet regarding Beto O’Rourke. Said Beto is a phony name and compared crowd size and polling numbers. That tells you everything you need to know about Trump. Nothing relating to this awful moment. He has no business going to El Paso or Dayton. He is incapable of empathy.
958
@Suzanne Victor..."Beto", for anyone who doesn't know, is the diminutive of "Roberto".
It's similar to calling someone "Don" whose formal name is Donald.
But don't expect Trump to know that. That would be cultural knowledge outside his distorted world.
296
@Suzanne Victor
And that he viewed these shooting episodes as an opportunity to marry his radical immigration wants to a red flag bill- "to make something positive" out of this whole situation. First thought; how can this benefit me?
113
@Suzanne Victor Don't forget, Trump is not acting alone. He has many accomplices, who are as guilty as he is.
238
Dear Mr. Trump,
The president of the United States does not get mulligans. You might take those on your golf course, in order to cheat and claim you won. But that does not work in the Oval Office.
You created the El Paso shooter. You own this. Lock, stock, and barrel.
11
Dear Trump supporters,
You hitched your cart to the wrong horse. He is leading the United States straight off a cliff, into free fall. And there will be no Wile E. Coyote moment of suspension in mid-air to reconsider.
Mr. Trump is on the wrong side of history. You still have an ever-shrinking window of opportunity to align yourself with the right side of future history. As your fellow American, I urge you to take it, while you still have a chance.
6
@MidtownATL
Good luck getting through.
Hope dies last.
I remind myself today that if Trump, Pence and McConnell were all to mysteriously disappear, Nancy Pelosi would be President.
It is a very comforting thought! :)
4
It's become customary for presidents to visit sites of mass murders. Only in today's hostile America has it become a political issue in which former and present members of congress are implicating the POTUS as a responsible party. Shame on them and the media that makes so much hoopla about them.
@Kenneth Cowan
“It's become customary for presidents to visit sites of mass murders. ”
Did you actually read what you wrote there?
“Customary to visit sites of mass murders”?
You seem to think this statement reflects some sort of normalcy, mass murders are now lumped in with other unfortunate events as something that just happens, shrugs all round.
To those of us living as your neighbours, your banal statement about the proper protocol for the President and mass murders, reflects an increasing insanity that is profoundly sad.
9
@Alison Cartwright: Of course I know what I wrote. Do you have any knowledge of the tradition for presidents to visit sites of mass murders? Reagan chose to ignore them--perhaps rightly, but beginning with GWH Bush and continuing through Obama, every president has paid homage at the sites where they occurred. I made no comment about the insanity of mass murders, or whether they should be classified with natural disasters. Obviously, they're not natural events. They are the acts of deranged people. and during the 21st century, the media hype about them may be a factor in spawning other deranged people to take similar actions. Regardless, it is unconscionable for public officials to blame the POTUS for causing them.
1
@Kenneth Cowan on the contrary - the shame is that you apparently fail to see that it is Trump's divisive and hate-filled speech that contributes to the incitement of these nutcases. At a recent rally, he even responded to an audience suggestion that immigrants should be shot by saying with a smile that "you can only get away with saying that in the Panhandle".
Residents of El Paso (which, contrary to Trump's lies, is NOT one of America's most dangerous cities) are justified in wanting nothing to do with the man who inspires so many racists.
4
Hogan Gidley is peddling a false equivalency when he stated "We would never dream of blaming Ocasio-Cortez for someone who perpetrated a terrorist attack on a D.H.S. ICE facility because he used the same rhetoric she uses about concentration camps,” Calling the over crowded detention centers in which people were denied basic hygienic needs and were being given little food and being forced to take turns sleeping on a concrete floor concentration camps is telling an inconvenient truth, not inciting hate. Telling four Congresswomen to "go back to the corrupt countries" he said they were from is inciting hate. Trump's applauding people who were chanting "send them back" at one of his rallies is inciting hate. Trump ranting about Elijah Cummings is inciting hate. Not condemning the White supremacists who marched in Charlottesville said to the nation that it was okay to hate people for the color of their skin
The silence of the Republicans has been deafening. By their silence, they ascribe to the gospel of hate that Trump spews at his rallies and bear part of the responsibility for the consequences of that gospel of hate.
Trump going to the cities where the massacres took place is rubbing salt in the wounds of people who are grieving and in shock. The hypocrisy of going to El Paso to tell people he feels their pain is repugnant and beyond disingenuous.
If Trump were sincere about the tragedies, he would have called for Congress to come together to enact new gun regulations.
8
Why trump’s laughing off the “shoot them” comment at his recent rally isn’t grounds for invoking the 25th amendment if not impeachment immediately is beyond me. People, citizens are getting killed, maimed for life, traumatized, because of the bile that emanates from this man’s mouth. Seriously! How bad does it have to get America?
12
Gun issue solved:
All members of a well regulated government militia has the right to carry a knife, musket and hand gun of no more than six rounds. That is waht the second amendment says. The listed items are the "arms" of the day of the Revolution and post Revolutionary 'Bill of Rights'.
People wanted the their guns to shoot for food and to protect themselves from wild Indians (natives whose land and resources they stole or forced to concede)
Most Americans, even newly arrived immigrants do not shoot game to survive. Nor are Native Americans quite the wild west savages today as pictured erroneously in the past.
So, people with gun issues would be able to join a federal or state militia if eligible.To be eligible the applicant shall be required to meet age, training, and practice requirements along with others set by the government.
Any person who wants to have more than a musket, knife, and six shooter, all to be maintained at the government, can apply to register those WMD. The only way the weapons can be removed from the militia facility is with permission for a legitimate reason, i.e. for competitive events.
Any person can bear arms under these conditions. Crazy people, hate filled people, people of any political persuasion.
Constitutional rights are defined in that document as amended, And the right to bear guns is regulated by a well regulated militia.
2
I hope the good people of El Paso and Dayton tell Mr. Trump to go back where he came from.
36
@MidtownATL
Would that be Germany or New York, I know one thing is certain. We don't want him back.
11
@Margo Channing
Scotland doesn't want him back either.
1
Maybe he can get a round of golf in after he pours some salt in the wounds.
28
There was a time when citizens of this country would respect the office of the President, but republicans showed Obama no respect, and with the current president showing no respect for anythin,g that doesn't help his bottom line, there's no reason to show him any respect. The people of these 2 cities should either turn out in mass, and drown him out with chants, or not at all, and completely ignore the buffoon.
20
I hope the people of El Paso and a Dayton, along with the press (please, press, do your job), hold him accountable for his hateful tweets and everyday spiteful language. Not just on the white supremacy issue, but all the hateful actions. Say it to his face. He still won’t “get it.” But please, let him know how insane his actions are. Not only sign-holding protests and chants, but to those who can speak to him today, bravely and eloquently tell him what he’s done to this country. It’s a shame that the president does not deserve the respect the office holds. He respects nothing and no one. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
27
People should line the streets and turn their backs.
23
This 'respect for the presidency' attitude shows that too many Americans are blind authority worshipers. No decent person would - or should - allow Trump to soil their home.
56
@Rethinking See, that is how you are going to lose the next election again. I am a decent person. I have political differences with Trump as well as with everybody on the democratic potential ticket. But when I get accused of being indecent because I would still treat the president with the respect due his office, I get very itchy to vote for him again. Decency should never be judged on the basis of political choices in a democracy. That is a go nowhere proposition. It lost Hillary the presidency and it can happen again.
1
@Rethinking The "presidency" is an institution, it is not the same as a "president." It's not blind loyalty to respect the institution, but it is a normal reaction for decent people to be repulsed by this pathetic little man who soils that institution like a boy-king sitting on his throne.
4
The aversion to this president is correct. He has turned our political process into a circus. School yard chants and name calling, demeaning millions of American citizens, European allies and disregarding treaties and agreements demands a response. With no change of course in sight, people will show the same disrespect shown to them.
6
If people would just stand up and be counted! Boycott this poor excuse for a President. Stay away. Dont grab your phone and start snapping photos. The Trump campaign owes El Paso over $500,000 for his last visit which it will never pay. Vote them out in 2020!
26
Mr. President, you are the last person that the people in these cities want to see. Go golfing instead, for there is where we Americans feel safer.
15
This article is so tilted against Trump. The El Paso shooter used the word invasion. Trump used the word invasion. That is hardly echoing at all. And Trumps isn’t against immigration. He is against illegal immigration.
All the democrats running for president think that the illegals should get free health care. Maybe they didn’t use the word free but we all know that is what it would have to be. I have to pay the first 5000 a year for medical under my insurance. I worked construction building homes for US citizens for 40 years. I had to pay 7000 dollars of my income taxes with credit cards. I can’t afford to go to the doctor.
If a democrat wins the presidency we will have millions rushing the border for free health care that I will have to pay for. And I can’t afford to pay my taxes or have health care myself. And when these illegals cross the border and go to get that surgery they have been putting off I can’t get angry. I can’t call them invaders.
The only way the democrats will enforce existing border laws is if the ones coming over are republican. That is the only way I look at this now. It is the democrats that are causing the problems. This is all about votes for them. Most important thing is for them to be in power. The good of the nation is down the list.
6
Sadly, you’ve fallen for Trump’s propaganda hook, line, and sinker. Trump is also against legal immigration, but only for countries he favors. Read Politico today for a report on Trump denying thousands of visa applications from countries like Haiti, Mexico, and India, while denying only 3 from Canada. He is favoring people solely on their race or country of origin. Also, did you miss the Trump rally where his supporters suggested shooting immigrants, and he laughed? He is fomenting racist violence.
13
@Jim
If you can’t afford to go to a doctor, you should be clamoring for universal health care.
11
@Jim. It should be titled against Trump. He has so damaged this nation. Your facts are wrong. You are watching way too much Fox News. Period. Full Stop.
13
To think that this charlatan could actually bring comfort, and a sense of unity to anyone other than his vehement supporters is a joke. He is incapable of compassion. This is just another photo op for him and his supporters.
23
A real president spoke yesterday, his name was Obama. This guy that's going to show up today; he's just a temp, he doesn't really have the skills to be hired full-time. Send him back, send him back.
82
Would it be possible for TV stations to show Trump's condolence speeches once and once only? I fear that every political program will be awash in the same unctious Trump- speak over and over again.
52
@Marion Francoz the campaign needs footage for their ads. They will be appropriately edited. /s
1
In keeping with his visit to Puerto Rico after the hurricane, Trump can toss boxes of facial tissue to the grieving.
31
As long as Trump is in the White House and as long as Mitch MConnell holds power over the the Republican controlled Senate, nothing will change. Each day fear grows as we all wonder when and where the next attack will occur? Which city, small town, grocery store, school, nightclub, theater, Walmart, etc., will be next? I don’t recognize the United States anymore. It is no longer the country I grew up feeling safe in. But maybe that wasn’t ever really true?
Between these horrendous mass shootings which have now become a regular event here, and climate change the new normal, it is truly a frightening and depressing time to be alive. I feel especially sorry for young people who are facing such a difficult future ahead.
601
@GregP
You can't be serious....wow.
64
@Concerned - I can not stop thinking about what one resident of El Paso said, "We felt safe in our community until he started talking," referring to Donald Trump, who has been spewing words of hate against minority citizens and immigrants!
He is capturing the support of people, who have been waiting in the dark underbelly of America for the opportunity to spread white supremacist violence across the USA. This president has emboldened them to believe now is the time --- due to his hateful rhetoric aimed at minority citizens and immigrants!!
He ignores history and the truth about immigrants: That they are less likely to break laws and they have been in this country longer, sometimes than Anglo Americans -- when you consider the fact that Christopher Columbus was Hispanic from Spain. Spaniards were the oldest European settlers in Texas, California and Florida. And native Americans share communities that overlap the Mexican-USA border. Of course Texas has a lot of Hispanic people -- It was part of Mexico until 1848!
32
@T He is serious because he clearly only gets his "facts" from Fox. This is a big problem with this country and a large number of voters.
17
The president shows extremely poor judgment by forcing himself on still-shocked communities reeling from these massacres.
The juxtaposition of him coming now, as opposed to the weekend of carnage when he blithely golfed and played photo-op president with a wedding party at his NJ golf estate is abhorrent.
If he truly cared about the impact of these shootings in these communities he would respect their wishes and stay away. He will only take all the attention off the dead and put it in his staged events instead of honoring the needs of the suffering.
I do hope protestors show up and hard questions are asked, as this man deserves no special respect for the office he holds and desecrates on a daily basis.
218
@ChristineMcM
Exceptional comment Christine!
24
@ChristineMcM If only the press would print it like it is instead of giving him a clean slate every single time. Print what the man does alongside what he says. The deep irony is that one day Trump will gut the 1st A. like a fish and the SCOTUS will be heating up the skillet. The time to act was now.
12
@ChristineMcM
Thanks for your always spot-on comments.
This is all just a version of a cheap reality TV show in his head, we are all just bit players for an audience of one.
'Performance' and 'appearance' is all that counts these days. Mueller was not exciting enough? OK then.
That this hideous charade keeps on going will be our collective doom unless someone gets a handle on this guy and shuts hm down, (or up).
By the way, sure did not take long for the real bigot and racist to show up in a tweet. This will be an interesting day.
8
Susan Bro, knew exactly how to respond to Donald Trump wanting to meet her, after the death of her daughter Heather Heyer in Charlottesville and after her grief was compounded by his statements referring to some of the white supremists as “fine people” - she refused, and the only message she sent him was- “Think before you speak.”
It’s hard to imagine any of the victims in El Paso being comforted by the presence of our divisive hate-mongering president among them.
252
@Susan - What a wonderful albeit incomprehensibly painful eloquent response. Thank you for reminding us of it.
6
@Susan
I have not seen one inkling of empathy ooze out of Trump’s mouth, body language or blathering tweets. He has been rebuffed before by a grieving family. I’m sure there are many more examples.
Ambassador Chris Stevens mother demanded Trump to cease and desist his defamation of Hillary Clinton by invoking the late Ambassador’s death in Benghazi.
“I know for certain that Chris would not have wanted his name or memory used in that connection. I hope that there will be an immediate and permanent stop to this opportunistic and cynical use by the [Trump] campaign.”
11
It's clear that Trump is becoming a pariah in his own country;
Very soon Mitch M will agree with Dems and make Pens the president; and this GOP charade will continue.
Unless GOP is put out of power(which is hard given the institutionalize bias and help from Russia); nothing will change.
6
I fully understand respecting the office of the presidency. And I cannot tell another when a line has been crossed. But there is a line and it can be crossed. The president is not the king and one does not have to respect him in all situations. Each public official can decide for themselves what crosses the line. But they must know that they will have to defend that position. And the excuse of respecting the office of the presidency no matter what may not suffice.
1
Thank you, Mr President, for grieving with us. May this moment set you in a course of kindness, humility, and genuine concern for the working class man and woman who are exhausted by all these post-mass shooting presidential speeches.
1
Mr. Trump is sure to be in a foul mood today. The stock market is continuing to fall sharply. He has already tried to deflect blame, tweeting that Jerome Powell and the Federal Reserve should lower interest rates "bigger and faster."
I know this sounds callous, in light of the horrific tragedies in El Paso and Dayton. But I write this comment to show what is at the front of Mr. Trump's mind today, while the rest of us mourn and demand action. His teleprompter speeches will be even more humdrum and insincere than usual. I hope he has a nice flight to Toledo.
2
But you're still doing it. This very edition is headlined, "Trump to Visit Dayton and El Paso, Creating Mixed Feelings for Residents." Mixed feelings? "Trump to Visit Dayton and El Paso, Amid Widespread Revulsion and Repudiation." Fixed it for ya.
And then there was the "bewildered nation" headline after this weekend's double shootings. "Bewildered" is one of those Times words, like "hard-charging." There are many adjectives I could think of, but not bewildered. The only thing the nation is bewildered about is: how did these people take power and why have we not thrown them out?
2
@Anonymous Commenter
"The only thing the nation is bewildered about is: how did these people take power and why have we not thrown them out?" The rest of the world wants an answer to that question, too. We thought you had scraped the bottom of the barrel with Dubya; now you're grubbing about under the barrel. Please get rid of this creature, his depraved enablers, and his vile family.
The Vietnam war was awful, a divided nation. But President Ford was better than Nixon, even Carter was better than Nixon. Clinton too, and Bush the father was better than his son.
Perhaps these awful times sow the seeds of better times.
But the national debt is getting out of hand.
"Trump to Visit Dayton and El Paso, Creating Mixed Feelings" Ahem, mixed? So who has positive feelings here? Is anybody happy he is visiting? Is somebody in these cities glad the president is coming, to repeat his immigrant venom and Hispanic trashing rhetoric he just spewed this morning on his twitter feed against Beto O'Rourke?
Nope, there are not mixed feelings at all... the headline is deceiving. Nobody is glad he is coming. For the sake of the dead and the victims, he should have an iota of decorum and stay in his palace with his yes-men. Maybe play another round of golf, as he did last weekend.
2
The unqualifed devotion of the trump party to their leader--as he takes a self-serving publicity tour--is a telling contrast to their unqualified disdain and ridicule toward President Obama when he visited grieving families or when he shed tears for 20 children slaughtered in Newtown. They recognize and gravitate to one of their own, and spit in fury like a vampire to a cross when they see their opposite, someone with common decency.
1
No visit to Gilroy? Oh, that’s right. It’s a blue state that has a law suit trying to get him to show his taxes to be on the primary ballot. I guess Californians aren’t deserving of his presence. Lucky them.
He should just go away and not come back. No one wants to hear what he has to say. He’s done too much damage already. It’s distressing and frightening that no one can stop him from continuing the carnage.
1
Having Trump visit El Paso and Dayton to express his sympathies to the victims...is like him visiting the victims of a arson fire where he provided the gasoline.
A visit allows him to say, "See, I reached out." It allows his adoring cult to say, "See, he reached out. The problem is your 'trump derangement'." It's all about him. And afterwards, he'll reward himself by pocketing millions more in tax-payer money by taking yet another vacation at one of his resorts.
He might be able to recoup some of his losses as a failed business man, but he'll never, in a million years, recoup his failure as a man.
2
Trump is a Lover not a Fighter! His remarks before leaving the White House show a total lack of self awareness and his usual "it's never my fault" stance.
This 'man' is just lucky that the OFFICE of POTUS affords him deference. Mayors will meet with him because of their respect for the office, not the man and Trump will never understand the difference. He himself does not respect the Office which he holds.
But Trump will have his day in front of the cameras no matter what.
Critics are "low in the polls". Oh really, That's the problem? You can't change his world view seen behind his reflection in a mirror.
Everything is about his greatness. America is sooo......lucky to have Trump. All bow before his magnificence!
Remember when Trump said he wasn’t afraid of the NRA let’s see him walk his tough talk
Sort of like the head of RJ Reynolds going to speak at the funeral of a lung cancer victim.
2
Where are all the white male Evangelical "Christian" ministers like Rick Warren, Franklin Graham, Jimmy Swaggert, Joel Osteen, making millions off their flock (snake oil salesmen to me) when it's time to condemn racist rhetoric and white supremacy by their President and this sycophants (the GOP)? No where to be found! Their silence speaks volumes about their pursuit of political power all these years (oh boo hoo, us "Christians" are being persecuted!)! It's about the power, not ethics, not morality, not anything good for the country....
2
The arsonist visits the smoldering ashes of his handiwork.
1
Mixed feelings? Comfort or rancor? Are we kidding? He shouldn't go, but his ego is more important. He will say something stupid and inflammatory.
1
Calling Donald Trump tone deaf would be the absolute kindest thing anyone could say about him.
1
As he just left the White House to go pour verbal acid on the open wounds in Dayton and El Paso, trump again conned his intentionally gullible base claiming the Dayton monster as a Bernie and Warren supporter to justify defending himself against the criticism for the El Paso tragedy. Of course he ignores the remarkable and blatant similarities between himself and that self-entitled deranged shooter in Daytona.
Indeed, both had their list of people they wanted to kill - trump's list of five blacks plus some random person (my guess he was visualizing a non-white victim) walking Fifth Ave. Did trump smile when he heard of the carnage of immigrants in El Paso just as he did when a supporter shouted "Kill them" as a solution to immigrants? Trump has a list of women he has raped and manhandled that the Dayton monster did not have the elite-ness and fame to consummate and get away with. Both think radicals on their side are "fine people."
Most disturbingly, both lash out when they do not get EVERYTHING they feel they are ENTITLED to get regardless of the cost to others or collateral obliteration.
Guaranteed that today's events in Dayton and El Paso will be all about the trump - all about himself - poor Donald, the real victim in all of this tragedy. No different than the two monsters who only thought of themselves and felt entitled to lash out at and take innocent lives.
You mean he didn't go to Toledo? What a disgrace.
3
Donald J. Trump is not a President he is a Cult Leader.
5
Trump should not go to either city—his hypocrisy, lies, and incitement to these horrid acts have no bounds. I hope all who stand for goodness and a hopeful future will turn their backs on him. For those (supporters) who do not, and welcome his presence instead, you have blood on your hands, too.
2
The scurrilous, grifting deadbeat still owes the city of El Paso over $500,000 in unpaid bills from his most recent visit.
4
Trump in WH: "Mental illness and hatred pulls the trigger, not the gun."
Without the gun, there would be no trigger to pull.
2
It didn't take long for Donald Trump to start attacking Beto O'Rourke, showing his utter stupidity and vindictiveness.
I guess Donald Trump the "Jerk in Chief" didn't mean what he said, Trump has no capacity to show any true sincere compassion, understanding or empathy.
What Donald Trump should be doing in going to El Paso is asking the community for their forgiveness regarding his racist and dehumanizing rhetoric that provoked this domestic terrorist shooting rampage, show a little contrition, but Donald Trump just doesn't have the capacity for thing so appropriate and decent, Trump is nothing more than a stupid lout who deserves to get showered in rotten eggs.
What a disgusting excuse for a supposed President, even if he's an illegitimate one, and let's leave the Dumb Ivanka out with her ignorant tweets to the Chicago Mayor, it seems like ignorance is part of the Trump DNA.
1
Our president only knows how sow discord and resentment. He should stay away from El Paso and let them grieve in peace. He has no empathy and is not a Christian.
3
The words of German schoolgirl, 1935, written to a newspaper editor she hoped would publish her school essay:
"(District Leader) Streicher has told us so much about the Jews that we absolutely hate them. At school we wrote an essay called 'The Jews are our Misfortune.'" . . .
Who says words don't have consequences?
3
With each of these incidents, I get comfort from watching the YouTube video of President Obama's eulogy in the wake of the Charleston shooting. Now we have a president who displays neither compassion nor leadership.
2
I have seen quiet a few things in my life, but never "a president" talking g about an invasion of a human being and then go to a town where the "invaders" are to show condolences, Does he not have a brain, an ounce of empathy, compassion? He's trying to have it both ways.
1
The crowd should chant "Send him back" before he even gets off the plane.
1
The office of President of our country deserves respect .
The person who occupies that office deserves no respect.
Trump was and is a danger to our Democracy and to all of us
watching and listening to the hate that flies our of his mouth daily.What would you respect him for? His turning back our environmental attempts to gain clean energy, his complete disregard for science on any subject ,perhaps his ‘very fine
People ‘ in Charlottesville.Remember ‘lock her up ‘or one of the verbal attacks for elected House of Representatives members,
‘Send them back’ .Think he didn’t know they are citizens?His
Ignorance is astounding, and Steven Miller really needs to
Inform him before he steps in it.Now he steps into the
Presidential jet and takes off for Texas ,where the sadness and
Grief are uppermost in the minds of our citizens there because
A young mans hate and his easy purchase of a weapon of war
Has killed a22 people.This young white man provided us with
a written Statement with many quotes made by Donald Trump.
Trump does not belong in El Paso, or Dayton.He is a racist
And is someone the White supremacy believers consider
A leader.Trump is following the example set by Hitler, as written about by Aldous Huxley and it’s sickening and never deserves
Respect!
Actions speak louder than teleprompted lines.
Legislate for gun control.
3
Is there anything more distasteful and sickening than the gathering of politicians (and as in your pictures,marches of priests of ancient religions) after a tragedy, exploiting the moment for their own purposes. Leave the poor family's alone to mourn in peace.
2
The people in Dayton and El Paso should politely turn their backs on a president who has not just turned his back to them, but has turned on them with his racist attacks on Hispanic immigrants, his belittling of American cities and political leaders of color, and his unyielding support for the gun lobby and the N.R.A. that gave his campaign over $30 million. We need "the rule of law" not the Wild West version of "the lawless rule of guns." It's time for a true "wounded healer" and not a "wounding hypocrite."
2
Yes, Trump supporters, handlers and enablers, you did pull the trigger.
3
The fact that persons on the left had also used guns in politically biased crimes is a red herring when it comes to gun control. Republican refusal to pass any gun control legislation makes all kinds of guns available to everyone.
2
I firmly believe his appearance in El Paso is to sow further discord. And the resentment in that city is bound to show - all the better for his purposes because of the large proportion of Hispanic residents. This has nothing to do with unifying.
4
So Trump now favors background checks, something he didn't support prior to the other day. Of course, he tied such checks to immigration, ensuring that nothing will be done on either front. Who knows what he will say today?
Trump mocked Barack Obama for pushing background check legislation. The House passed a bi-partisan bill that included them earlier this year. I suppose It sits on McConnell's desk, but then he may have thrown it in File 13. Trump has done nothing to "nudge" the Senate majority leader on this matter.
The NRA may be facing internal problems but it is still spending loads of cash in an effort to stop background check legislation. Meanwhile, all but a very few Republican officials are deadly silent. No matter that survey data indicates that 90% of citizens favor them.
2
It's not only the aggrieved citizens of Dayton and El Paso who have mixed feelings about Trump's pending visit there.
No doubt he'll mouth words of condolence and concern without meaning them unless they improve his popularity ratings -- and before long, he'll go right back to his racist invective-filled rallies.
In the meantime, the NRA still rules, a Republican Senate continues to sit idly by and the senseless mass shootings continue.
3
What comfort are the residents of these cities supposed to get from a visit from the man who provoked these mass murders? Only we, the people, can free the country of this villain. In the meantime, I see a priest in a prayer vigil in El Paso. Would it be too much to ask for a united condemnation of Trump's rhetoric by a coalition from the highest levels of the religions in this country? Someone with more influence than our politicians and entertainers? Someone who would be harder to insult in a 4 a.m. tweet? Is it lost on the archbishops, rabbis, etc. that if they ever had a moral obligation, this is it? Where are they when we need them?
4
@Sidewalk Sam
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/08/07/archbishop-trump-hate-racism-el-paso-twitter/
The Bishop of San Antonia tweeted a message condemning racism and seemed to be critical of Trump. Later in the day he deleted the tweet and apologized. I can’t think why he would do either regarding the message, but at least it was a start.
1
Death should be a moment of sanctity in the small slice of eternity within which one leaves those to whom they were important. Life is precious, and death is natural—or should be. Death is essential. It is returning our carbon atoms to the universe, sharing forward future life. Death should be intimate, quiet, and private, leaving those behind in the swirling sorrow of having to say goodbye while grounded in the happiness of having had that person in their lives.
Violence taints death's sanctity. It is unnatural. It is out of universal time. Senseless murder is tainted. Nothing else should add to the tainting of the untimely deaths that occurred in El Paso and Dayton. Those left behind missed that quiet intimacy of their loved one's natural death. No shared remembrances before the final good-bye. No chance to say a final "I love you" or "I’ll miss you" or "I'm sorry" or "I’ll be OK." Having been denied that, those left behind need some grounding in something. It should be the sincere support of neighbors and friends and those who mourn with them—not a disingenuous, approval- and attention- seeking politician aiming to wash his hands of blame, aiming to attach blame to others, aiming to deny what they know is true.
Trump should stay away. He does not respect the office bestowed upon him. They owe him no respect. He should sit in silence and ruminate on what he has unleashed. And he should then announce he is not seeking re-election. He has brought destruction.
3
On the morning of his trip, he
1. Mocked a Presidential candidate and told him to be quiet
2. Disparaged one of the nations leading newspapers for not running a headline he likes.
3. Made up numbers about payments that countries are supposedly sending us for various reasons
4. Continued to directly criticize and tell what to do to a central financial institution that is required to be independent of such remarks.
This does not sound like an individual that has a recent national tragedy on his mind, nor someone who is capable of constructive actions to bring on national unity.
5
I applaud the mayors of Dayton and El Paso for welcoming the President to their communities. They may have deep personal feelings about Mr Trump but they are both demonstrating true leadership when it is sorely needed. Perhaps other “leaders” and their perceived constituencies will learn that working together with people of widely different ideological differences can be more productive then waging battle on Twitter
As a parent of a Sophomore soccer player, I am looking forward to my son's soccer games in High School, I am looking forward to cheering him and jumping on the bleachers when he makes that great pass. Javier Rodriguez, a 15 year old who died in El Paso could have been my son, your son. His life was cut short, his family will never see him play again. My heart is heavy and eyes are teary. Mr. President, please stay away from these grieving families.
52
@ALN I thought you’d say I’m looking forward to the games but I’m afraid of a massacre. Because know what? As security now stands, we all need to be afraid. Everywhere. Tell your soccer league etc. : Do Something. People!
2
I'm sure he'll get a really 'warm' welcome.
Hey Trump, if you really believe this is a "very, very serious" moment, you might want to make sure Melania leaves her "I don't care do you?" jacket back home. And try not to do things like throwing rolls of paper towels to grieving residents.
He will make another one of his brutally painful to watch his speeches. Why not cut El Paso a cheque for the over half million his 'campaign' stiffed them for instead.
This is THE test! This should show how effective Democrats can be in mobilizing the US public to resist a president who implements racist policies and openly makes racist comments.
If Democrats fail to bring the people of a city - that was target of a white supremacist just three days ago - into the streets to protest against a racist con man then, I believe, Trump re-election is highly likely.
2
Whoever is there in El Paso this afternoon, this is your media moment. You should make a peaceful, dignified but highly visible and audible statement: Do something. Say it together and say it loud.
3
He is bringing paper towels?
2
It is clear to me that Trump is the worst thing to have ever happened to this country, but I think my fellow NYT- and WaPo-reading, MSNBC-watching fellow progressives are starting to react irrationally with no sense of proportion to everything Trump does and it doesn't serve our cause.
In his clumsy and always self-serving way, making the teleprompter remarks and traveling to El Paso and Dayton, he is doing the perfunctory things expected of a president in the aftermath of these tragedies. Maybe we should save our vitriol for the numerous times a day that he violates normal presidential behavior.
I agree with Mayor Whaley. Trump's remarks, at a minimum, were disappointing. To me though, the most egregious and telling thing was the glaring absence of any mention whatsoever of the fact that it appears the El Paso victims were targeted because they were Hispanic. This is a man who personally benefitted for decades from the fruits of the hard labor of hundreds, if not thousands of Hispanics, including "illegal aliens," in his personal businesses. And yet, even after this nauseating, horrible tragedy, he couldn't muster up the fortitude to say one complimentary, nice thing about the Hispanic community in this country.
2
Because they are servants to him not peers. He doesn’t see them as humans just tools he uses.
"Power to the people
Power to the people
Power to the people
Power to the people
Power to the people
Power to the people
Power to the people
Power to the people, right on
Say we want a revolution
We better get on right away
Well you get on your feet
And into the street
Singing power to the people
Power to the people
Power to the people
Power to the people, right on "
- John Lennon
If the man shows up in either of the two cities turn your backs on him, Unite as One. More powerful than any slogan.
Maybe Trump will demonstrate his grasp of mechanism and empathy by ranting on about video games??
1
Maybe Donald Trump can also explain why he revoked the law President Obama signed in to extended background checks to Mental health for gun purchases?
5
@Chico
That was specific to elderly people receiving disability payments who were not able to handle their finances and had a designated person to be the receiver of their benefits. Those conditions in themselves do not make someone a mental health threat or someone who should be denied their Second Amendment Rights. That's why it was changed.
This is not the time for cheap political GOTCHA theatrics on the part of the likes of Beto and his rabble rousers with their faux tears of outrage! The President is visiting the bereaved offering his hand in grief and healing for those in need. Nothing more.
3
@Moe, it’s just another publicity stunt by Trump. If the cameras weren’t there Trump wouldn’t be there either. He does not care one whit about us.
3
@Moe Offering his hand in grief? He is incapable of empathy. Tell me why he’s not going to Gilroy. Oh, that’s right. It’s a blue state. I guess people in blue states aren’t entitled to his hand in grief. Lucky them.
2
yes, we all knew he would this bad!
Trump voters are becoming Trump deniers. Can't wait for the Republicans to start coming out from under their rock.
1
From Day One of his campaigning for POTUS, Trump has condoned violence and spewed hateful (and in many ways, totally without evidence or merit) language, laughing and egging on his base all the while; he has never stopped, and doesn't need a rally to do it.
Now he plans to visit Dayton and El Paso, and pay his respects? POTUS or not, that's unmitigated gall of the highest (or lowest, depending on POV) order.
I've always subscribed to the belief, that whether told, "it's the drugs (or alcohol) talking; or with a completely clear head, once the darts hit their target, the damage is done. And, considering the relative frequency of his verbal venom, it's long past the point of any show of sympathy; any display of contrition, or anything akin to,"I take it all back..."
The damage has been done, and many times over.
Any attempt at consoling the victims' families; or at unity, are as credible as "I am the least racist...."
Only by showing up, Trump can only add insult to injury of monumental proportions; whether it's his obligation or not, to go to these cities.
Trump, haven't you done enough, already?
1
Trump is, if nothing else, spontaneous in expressing his momentary feelings. However, in truth he is incapable of feeling anything real. Every word and action has himself as the beneficiary. With no core and no sensibility, he can easily come to places he is not wanted because it is his self interest that he is satisfying. If he thinks El Paso does not want him and they are mostly brown, why not make them more uncomfortable? This should play well with his base of right wing white nationalists. Even when visiting places of hurt and sorrow, you can count on Trump to make things worse.
1
The NRA spent $30m getting their man elected in 2016 and $1.6m over the past few months lobbying against improved background checks.
Meanwhile, 48 R Senators have an A- or better NRA rating.
Does anyone truly believe that trump and the GOP are going to vote otherwise than in accordance with the directions of their paymasters?
4
Mixed feelings? It boggles the mind that there could be any question about the insincerity of this President. OK, such visitations are the sort of thing Presidents do, but that's where it ends.
If Trump wanted to do something positive, he'd stay away ... and resign from office.
5
When I was growing up, my elders oft reminded me to "respect the Office of the Presidency." I still do -- just not the bum who currently inhabits the office.
Which reminds me of Trump's imminent visits today to the carnage scenes in Dayton and El Paso. Trump the "president": this national figure, of all national figures, whom one depends on for compassion, unifying grace, and thoughtful words in times of anxiety and grief.
"President" Trump, who, instead of being warmly received in these mourning communities, will be Roundly Booed -- and deservingly so.
I laugh (not the ha-ha kind) whenever I imagine Trump delivering a Fireside Chat on the order of FDR's dignified monologues of extraordinary fellowship.
Trump? His chats would be Firestorms.
2
It is pretty clear that Trump has no regard for a large swath of American society, including people of color, immigrants, and anyone to the left of center.
I suggest we all make sure to respond in kind, peaceably, quietly, and with dignity, characteristics he does not understand or value, by going to the polls on November 3, 2020 and sending him a very polite "You're FIRED."
For good measure, let's send similar pink slips to as many of the Republicans who sit on their hands and do nothing to educate this man about being a decent person. They are all chickens. The ones with "courage" are all running for the hills rather than appearing on the same ballot with Trump. Only after they make that decision to they then try to speak out, "a day late and a dollar short."
6
Trump has no decency. He is merely seeking adoration and approval from his base for having acting presidential.
5
It is often the case that criminals will return to the scene of the crime.
4
spending as usual too much time listing to himself talk, and will be late as usual. the disrespect is beyond vile. for this solemn visit he (in my opinion) should not have NOT stopped for questions...
2
What I don’t understand is why democrats are refusing to start work on immigration!! Yes, Trump’s proposal is unacceptable and can’t be passed in its current form. But can’t they sit down and change the parts they disagree with? I guess if it’s impossible to change the bad parts of it, then, it’s understandable that democrats won’t even take it up. But then again would any final solution be worse than the current situation? Or do they hope to have a better deal some unknown time perhaps after they win both houses or something? When will that be? How can they be sure they will win anything, or they won’t even lose the house in the next election? Surely any fix of the system has to start somewhere, from a republican or Democrat presidency. So what’s the point of refusing to start doing migration reform? It just seems like more politics and games and using immigrants as political footballs. So they deny Trump any reform credit, then republicans also deny democrats any reform credit, and it goes on and on. And for those who say it’s not related to guns, yes it isn’t. But then again it is, it was an attack on mostly immigrants. And if it isn’t, whats wrong with dealing with the immigration problem? Both sides can’t keep playing this game.
I grew up in El Paso, Texas and Hispanic childhood nicknames that become permanent accepted first names is not uncommon in our precious Border community. Anyone calling out Paul, James, Frank or Robert to Lito (my cousin), Jaime (a good friend), Paco (a business acquaintance) or Beto would not receive even a turn of their heads.
1
I fear that Trump and his handlers see these visits as a campaign opportunity.
Clearly he cannot do anything to bring people together. He's shown repeatedly that he only knows how to incite people. So I figure he's going there to strength his "base" who will be appalled see how unwelcome he is when only trying to fulfill his presidential duties.
I suspect that the only reason Trump would agree to put himself in this situation is that he was convinced that it would help him politically.
3
"Still, Ms. Whaley said, she would respectfully welcome the nation’s elected leader to her city."
She's a collaborator and enabler, plain and simple, like most of today's politicians. Replace them.
1
The USA have the highest violent crime rate per capita of the industrialized world, also the highest incarceration rate, both by 8 times the European average.
The mass shootings are another record but they help at hiding the general violence that is caused by the pressure of the extreme capitalist economy. 8 times more violent crime, 50 times more risk to be killed in the US while robbed than in Europe.
Almost 1 % of the US population is in jail.
The mass shooting produce a mask on the endemic structural problem of the extreme violence in the USA.They make it look like it is only a few incidents tied to the mental health of a few crazy individuals.While the violence is inherently part of the American culture. and economy.
3
President Trump's past rhetoric has been divisive and demeaning, but his going to Dayton and El Paso could be a healing moment for our nation. We need to come together to tone down the vitriol rampant in our public square today. Words do matter, and unhinged characters like the right-wing attacker in El Paso or the left-wing attacker in Dayton can be motivated to evil by vitriol from their respective camps. Both political sides also need bold compromise to address this issue... for example Republicans need to stand up to the NRA and impose nationwide background checks, ban assault rifles, etc., and Democrats need to stand up to the gaming industry (and misguided free speech purists) to censor dehumanizing active shooter video games promoting gun use and desensitizing a generation to the horrors of violence. Enough of one side pointing at the other without considering its own complicity. It will take everyone to address this issue!
1
@Wesley
Yes -- we need to "come together" but only because Trump has pulled us apart.
1
I read usually the NYT and the WaPo online, while I
read rightist sites too sometimes I confess.
A truly great nation encourages pluralism.
When Trump was elected I was shocked and
posted that the worst thing has happened.
We are pretty much all angry, and our demagogic
Potus seemingly thrives in our contradictions.
Be strong while being aware: I am not able
to soft-peddle how nasty and upsetting things are, nor
should I.
Telling of hard truth is one way to somehow resolve and adapt
to the depressing reality probably most feel—perhaps, maybe not though.
1
For any normal person it would be hard if not utterly hypocritical to speak about national unity when one's whole - let's say - Presidential campaign - is about formenting division.
2
He'll say the words unity and healing but won't mean them. He already defended his rhetoric this morning. It'd be nice if he actually listened for a change but we know that won't happen. This low form of humanity isn't capable of decency. He can only fake it for a short period of time.
1
The only reason Trump is visiting these two grieving cities is to see firsthand what his hateful words have wrought. The people should turn their backs on him and ignore him.
@Kingfish52
I think he's looking for votes.
It's a "Tale of Two Cities" Trump plots. He seeks to spark rebellion as an excuse for his long sought treasonous military takeover.
I demand PEACE and the arrest of plotters, a far better outcome than what Republicans plan.
What does it say about how low Trump has dragged the esteem and gravitas of the office of the Presidency that when the sitting President says he will visit his citizens prefer that he just stay away? Can you imagine any other president being told to go away and don't bother? It is because they know his words will be hollow, his gestures purely for publicity, and his promises forked by fingers crossed behind his back. When a president loses the ability to comfort, he forfeits the ability to lead.
4
Trump should not be visiting either Dayton, Ohio or El Paso, Texas unless he comes up with a plan to reduce gun violence in America and present that to the nation. He should apologize to the people of America for the hateful rhetoric that he has used to cheer up his base and that has taken by some of them in doing the most heinous crime of killing innocents and immigrant Americans.
Mr. Trump, please ask Congress to bring a bill for Universal background check bill for your signature at the earliest possible to stop this madness. Background check only deters criminals and does not cartel 2nd amendment right of the citizens.
1
In its coverage to date the NYT has treated this unwanted and yes provocative visit as the rough equivalent of not inviting a mildly repugnant uncle to a holiday meal
By comparison the Wa Post was blunt: “ he’s not wanted”
EVen citing the GOP mayor of El Paso’s reluctance to greet this nasty piece of work.
Why the deference and timidity? Why aren’t you confronting the arsonist who built the fire poured the gasoline on it and lit it?
Heck, the white supremacists , those marginalized societal rejects to a person, cite trump as their inspiration.
Why can’t the NYT step up and be fair and balanced to the majority of Americans who have gotten so sick of trump’s behaviour that we just don’t like the man? Why?
What on earth is holding you back??
4
@Adam S Urban Warrior - I have been wondering the same thing for weeks.
@Adam S Urban Warrior
Because national newspapers report to all people, not just the majority
we should follow the lead of the Puerto Ricans----protest in the streets-----force this scourge on the people of the USA to resign.....
4
Only 7 States ban assault weapons, Police cannot prevent
the mass killings and injuries, because of the capability of
assault weapons to kill many in a few seconds.
Since police cannot prevent the killings, why do 43 states
continue to allow the sale of assault weapons.
This is the first question to ask; every Governor of the 43 States that permit the sale and use of weapons which out
gun the police.
So...perhaps the journalists of the New York Times should
ask Governors of the 43 States why they allow assault
weapons to be sold...
While these 43 Governors are silent....another mass murder
may be planned....perhaps fueled by the hate rhetoric of
ads that promote racial and ethnic hate....such as those
that appear on Facebook.... Ban Assault Weapons ...First
in every US State...and 2ndly....do background checks...
First prevention: Ban Assault Weapons....
No equivocation ; Get It Right....Get it Done !!!!
2
@Carol B. Russell
Virginia Tech was handguns and more died than in El Paso. Dayton shooter was stopped by police using .45 caliber handguns mostly, one had a shotgun and maybe one or two fired back with .223 rifle rounds. They stopped him in less than a minute. So they can stop the shooters if they are on the scene fast enough. If they are not on the scene fast enough any weapon being used will still kill scores of people because that is what guns are designed to do.
People of El Paso to Trump: Go back! Go back! Go back! Go back! Go back!
6
Unity? Healing?Those are two words he knows nothing about. Division and separation.Now,those are two words he can embrace. He is so out of touch with reality it's not funny. When you watch him speak he looks constipated.We will never start down the road of healing until he's out of office. Only then can the healing and unity begin.
3
Will he throw packs of tissues instead of paper towels this time?
3
Donald Trump,
Stay away from these grieving people. You have no capacity to empathize, or take resposnibility for your actions. You are an embarrasment to the country and the Office of the President.
Shame on you.
8
Mr. President, you say you have "no racist bone" in your body. If so, you must:
1. Stop referring to immigrants and asylum seekers as rapists and criminals
2. Stop referring to fleeing people seeking sanctuary as an "invasion"
3. Stop dehumanizing people with terms like catch-and-release. People are not fish!
4. Stop denying the national identity of any American who is not of European origin
5. Stop justifying rising "White Supremacy" by referring to their murderous acts as deeds of the mentally ill
6. Stop these crimes of omission and your constant insinuations.
The Nazis, the Taliban, and the ISIS neither play video games nor are they mentally ill. They simply love their kind too much and hate others way too much, and that radicalizes them. They all follow the same playbook - separate, dehumanize, and then exterminate. You, Mr. President, are wholesaling hatred - you radicalize these young men who love their kind too much, and know nothing about others. Their lack of empathy comes from their ignorance. You should be enlightening them. When you dehumanize immigrants and paint the "other" as the enemy, you are no different from the fanatics who run the Madrasas that churn out jihadists. They themselves don't kill, but incite destructive hatred - they turn our ability to love and protect into something ugly and dangerous. Don't make that your legacy - the status that you have been bestowed by this country deserves much better.
6
That would be like inviting Ted Bundy to one of his victims daughters wedding.
9
@Armo - That is not even an exaggeration.
Can you imagine if six American citizens had been gunned down in Mexico, by a Mexican?
2
This trip is a huge waste of taxpayer money. Trump causes the largest massacre of Latinos in US history and then has the unmitigated gall to waste our morning money in an empty, futile gesture.
After calling immigrants an invasive force of rapists and murderers from Mexico, he rubs the face of Latinos in the innocent blood he has caused to be spilled with his vile, relentlessly racist, hateful rhetoric.
How convenient that this carnage distracts from the real issue: this president is a criminal and a traitor.
4
Opinions are divided? What has become of the Times?
5
Trump has blood on his hands from the white terrorist murders in El Paso.
8
Sick of him and his pathologies.
16
Shame on the Times! "An attempt to deliver a message of national unity and healing"? Who do you think you are tryimg to fool? The so-called "president" merely wants to appear to be something he is not, and you fall for it each time. Wake up!
6
Now this malignant idiot is trying to make two re-election stops out of pure death and carnage. Dog whistling all the way, I'm sure.
11
I understand the desire to show respect for the office of the president regardless of the person who occupies it.
But what to do when the man who occupies the office shows it no respect?
What to do when the man who occupies the office shows no respect to the people he is supposed to be acting for?
When he shows no respect for the offices of elected representatives, telling them to go back to where they came from rather than bother him with governing?
When he refers to the cities of which he is president as rat infested hell holes, incites violence against the citizenry, and lies, lies lies about everything, all the time?
When he turns a blind eye to the corruption in his administration and a worshiping eye to Putin, but leads cheers of "lock her up" for political rivals?
I'd certainly avoid any situation where manners would have me take his outstretched hand, particularly since he also turns a simple handshake into a macho contest of pulling and gripping, proving that there's nothing he can't ruin.
11
& a prediction of the next "fake news": even if El Paso tells Trump to "go back to hell, where he came from" he will still report that it was a "very nice visit."
If he wants to comfort someone, let him visit Jeffrey Epstein.
And I hope Melania has put away her "I don't care" jacket.
10
I really wish that Beto would take this moment and withdraw his name from consideration as the Democratic nominee for President and instead use this moment to rally any and all efforts to challenge the Senate seat of John Cornyn.
Two things are clear at this time. 1) It is highly unlikely that Beto will claim the nomination. 2) Winning the White House but not the Senate will ensure that even if Trump is gone from our national nightmare, McConnell's Senate will endure. Beto has both the stage and this opportunity to make his election to the Senate a national effort.
Beto, yes the nation needs your voice and ideas more than it does those of Trump. But Texas needs you more and we as a nation would be eternally grateful to you in the years to come.
27
Yes! I couldn’t agree more!
1
Nothing like have the person (Trump) who instigated the massacre come for a visit to rub it in.
Prayer vigils won't stop AK-47 bullets.
Nationwide protests should have already been happening. America continues to spiral down.
17
I live in a state where you can not say anything negative about Trump. Where my wife works and is the GM the owners don't want religion and politics discussed and at monthly meetings they disparage democrats and have a minute or 2 for a Christian prayer. My wife is their highest ranked employee over 500+ total, but she can't say anything to the owners about it because she'll probably lose her job. She is not Christian and they are unaware of that because she's Irish but she converted (by choice) when we married over 40 years ago. Supposedly, they have a policy that states no discussion is allowed regarding religion or politics!
Right now there's a GOP candidate, who's whole TV ad goes on and on about he's supported by Trump and they show a picture of Trump standing with his arm on his shoulder. It wasn't that long ago (90's) that David Duke ran for governor as a republican. People outside of this state don't realize he was a member of the state senate, as a republican for many years. The fact is, 60% of the white vote voted for David Duke. We live on 40 acres and our only neighbor makes horrible racist comments in almost every discussion. So my wife has made it a point not to ever talk to her. These are not aberrations or stupid people, her husband is a retired internist and she has a masters from Tulane, where I went to graduate school. Her husband knows we aren't Christians and never made a racist comment in over 30 years but how can he not tell her it's wrong?
12
The is a double insult to the people of El Paso. Trump's racist rhetoric inspired the shooter, and Trump still hasn't paid the security bill from his pep rally there last Feb. But he's been a deadbeat who's refused to pay his bills his entire failed career. Why would he do anything different now?
12
Dayton is my hometown. Give Trump a piece of your mind, just like you did with the governor. Hold him accountable!
9
El Paso is rated #6 safest city in the U.S. contrary to the President's lies, He needs to be challenged every time he speaks and his lies should not be repeated in sound or in print. I am sick of the malignancy he has spread in this country. I am in mourning.
17
Think of how much better off all of us would be if these officials who are doing their “respectful” duty to the “office of the President” would “respectfully” refuse to meet with trump who has basically wiped his behind with the office he holds. He has no respect for the trappings of his office, the citizens that he is supposed to represent, members of Congress, too many to keep listing. Heck, he doesn’t even have respect for his supporters, everything about him is transactional. I’m with Beto and anyone who is willing to call trump out for what he is. It’s way , way past time for us to stop pretending this is normal.
11
trump said he is staying out of political discussions, this after his attack on Beto O'Rourke (on Twitter) and Joe Biden (in the presser on his way to Marine One.)
I am sick to exhaustion of this damaged individual. I will never forgive those who voted for him and continue to support and enable him.
14
All evil people who peddle in hate love people hating them as much as loving them. Trump's political DNA is of fake big time wrestling, where hate brings more people to the arena than love, compassion, competence, etc..
Just as Trump reveals the inner soul of the GOP, faux news reveals the inner soul of his nefarious, vitriol, evil Australian plutocrat, Murdoch. Just as Faux is a hate for profit organization, the GOP is hate for election success.
Unless we get rid of the GOP and their ministry of misinformation, we will continue to have hate and division in this country. A political party whose exists to concubine for their evil plutocrats while uses bigotry, misogyny and Christian fascism to win election will eventually destroy the idea of "America" for the whole planet.
9
Nothing will come from Trump's trip to Ohio or Texas other than to further cement his incompetence.
9
Would not be surprised with this crew in the White House if Trump didn't somehow wind up in Toledo. He can forget attempts to comfort the nation. Teleprompter Trump could not look more bored. And if he switches off the teleprompter, we're going to hear about the infestation.
6
"How to get the President of the United States
to visit your town . . ."
Unfortunately it works, as with Pres. Obama.
2
Trump should indeed go to El Paso — but barefoot through the desert as a penance.
10
Trump is no George Washington.
5
What a farce. Trump's incendiary rhetoric fans the flames of hatred and then he goes to the massacre scenes to offer condolences.
8
"Mixed feelings"? Of nausea, disgust and fury.
8
Abusive Trump ought to know better not to go to El Paso, just to add insult to injury. Could he be so 'dense' not to realize he is not welcomed, as he was/is the source of all the hate the shooter accumulated, and his mowing down innocent victims, 'trying to follow Trump's barbaric speeches inciting violence, and get rid of hispanic invaders'? We are living difficult times in these United States, where we have a racist and xenophobic president doing his 'best' to divide us. Enough already!
6
“Mr. Trump lashed out at Mr. O’Rourke on Twitter late Tuesday, saying he had a “phony name to indicate Hispanic heritage” ... In Puerto Rico have given Trump a few choice names of his own in Spanish so he should not feel left out.
9
Honestly NYT, how can you print this with a straight face? Trump’s racism really isn’t a matter of conjecture or debate anymore. He knows he’s a racist, Republicans know it, Democrats know it and pretty much everyone has accepted this as a basic fact except, apparently, the New York Times.
Donald Trump has demonstrated over and over and over again that his goal is to divide Americans along racial lines for his own perceived benefit. His outright bigotry and less-than-subtle incitement to violence, including at his fascist-style rallies, led directly to these massacres. The El Paso mass murderer literally quoted him as motivation. His laughable and insincere references to reconciliation cannot and should not be taken seriously.
Trump’s presence at these sites, as with his appearance in Pittsburgh after the synagogue massacre he incited there, is sick. It should not be considered presidential, healing, representative of American values or anything else positive.
Trump has created a dangerous and violent atmosphere in our country, and he is continuing to intentionally make it worse. He must be removed from office in 2020 while we still have a country left.
7
The big issue for the media is who can scoop the snarkiest comment by the lowest level local official. Beto is a non-entity, but Trump keeps rising to the bait. Perhaps we should wait to see if Trump has anything to offer these grieving folks before we lower ourselves. Some of them voted for Trump, and want him there. They just aren't the ones to get up on a table and curse. Beto needs to take another pity-party road trip to contemplate his navel.
2
The voters of Ohio and Texas should take note of the prominent Republican officials in their states who will attend Trump’s photo ops today. Their demonstration of support for the White Nationalist ideology and racial hatred personified in their President should give pause to anyone who might have been leaning Republican in the 2020 election. Between now and the election, there will likely be dozens more mass shootings, enabled by Republican inertia regarding effective gun control legislation. Is this really the country we want for ourselves, our children, and our grandchildren? Clearly, this is the country we have under Trump and Republican leadership.
16
He continues his self-deception. He wants to portray himself as a President for all of the people, when, in fact, it was his inflaming of an aggrieved white minority that got him elected by a sliver of votes. Now, he ventures into two wounds that inflict not just two cities but all caring Americans. Truth, is his presence in Dayton and El Paso can only be seen as ghoulish.
10
Really, Donald, why do you want to inflict more pain on those who have been through so much?
9
As an African-American, Hispanics now see how blacks felt in the 1950's and 60's. The only difference is time... today, the president of the United States seems to encourage it.
People hating you just because you look different, you act differently, you talk differently, you ARE different.
Every African-American back then, including me, feeling like they had targets on their backs. My heart hurts for the Hispanics and Latinos in our country.
It's going to get worse.
Who's next before our long national nightmare will end? What American city will experience the racial hatred that El Paso,Dayton, Gilroy and others have faced?
It could be coming to your city.
WHO'S NEXT???
7
@Southern Bred & I think plenty of Latinos are already familiar with racism and have been for years. It’s the general population that is getting schooled in ugliness. It’s important for the African American community to show support-good on you for recognizing the magnitude of the problem.
Hong Kong certainly knew what to do ... maybe El Paso and Dayton will take note.
4
i was in Oregon when obama came after the Roseburg shooting. they held up signs telling him to go home.
2
White House spokesman Hogan Gridley apparently cannot see the difference between left-inspired gunmen, and whose inspired by right-wing extremism. Let me explain it simply: the former are not encouraged and incited by political speech that characterizes others as 'invaders', 'criminals & rapists' or 'terrorism supporters'. The latter are so encouraged - by his boss the President.
2
I'm heartbroken as I look over the Amazon prices for bulletproof backpacks. How sad. What a commentary on our society. Why are people so ignorant to what is happening? And so unwilling to see that our liberty and freedom are being stripped by those who want liberty and freedom for themselves only.
5
On the White House lawn just now, Trump said he believes his rhetoric is "bringing people together" and our country has "never been better off" than it is just now. He's also saying he's squeezing more money out of South Korea in a 'great deal' to solve us paying to protect them.
Tone deaf and dishonest.
Footage of Trump shown from the back appear to show he is wearing a bullet-proof vest under his jacket.
10
@fast/furious
Of course Trump believes his own rhetoric because that's what Fox News is printing and stating.
God forbid if he ever perused another news source like the NYT or the Washington Post.
1
As silent as a mirror is believed, realities plunge in silence in the minds and hearts of stalwart trump supporters blind to what is so obvious ... that he is a miserably unprepared and dangerously unprincipled ‘fake’ president who is an unabashed leech and an unrepentant liar.
Essentially the nation is leaderless which is apparent by the vacuum in the WH in confronting this most tragic mass killing. What we’re left with now is the precarious situation of an un-indicted criminal sitting in the oval office scot-free to continue his campaign of wreaking havoc and chaos on the nation.
leech and an unrepentant liar.
7
Trump lacks empathy and compassion. This visit is like rubbing salt in the wounds.
8
I can't help it but this really gives me the creeps, a sickening feeling. How can he and the First Lady go down to El Paso and face those people? Yuck!
Trump giving solace to a grieving community when his hateful rhetoric influenced these racist acts is insulting and hypocritical. Do us all a favor Trump- stay home.
6
HE should have waited a little bit longer before going
there
1
“This is a very, very serious moment in our country’s history,” Hogan Gidley, a White House spokesman, said on Tuesday. “This president recognizes the gravity of this moment.”
Is that so Hogan Gidley? Was the president "recognizing the gravity of this moment" when just this morning in his tweet he mocked Beto O'Rourke's for using a "fake name," a Latin nickname that his family reportedly has been calling him since he was a child?
7
Justice, safety, dignity, tolerance, morality and love! What happened to that?
Trump happened to that. His words are hollow. and meaningless. And again he and his minions try to deflect blame for Trumps incendiary language inciting violence toward people of color, Jews and immigrants and tries to claim Democrats are responsible too. Of course he invokes Obama to blame and invoke false equivalency. Of course.
Trump blames mental illness (is white supremacy a mental illness?). Trump blames video games (even though millions who play those games are not violent). Trump points the finger and blames everyone else.
Trump is truly the evil one. I would like to think his supporters and the right wing “media” (including Rush) are not all racists but they support and enable him and therefore are culpable and responsible for this. Yes they did pull the trigger.
3
When did Donald Trump ever “trounce” Beto O’Rourke?
They have never been in an election or competition against each other that I have heard of.
1
The trumpian mouthing of trite platitudes and the feigned charade of false and empty empathy is the cross that the pathetic citizenry of El Paso will have to bear today. It's galling and outrageous but that's that state of the nation. God willing it'll all be over in 15 months.
2
Trump is simply a disgrace to the office and the nation.
No words from a teleprompter can replace his heartfelt hatred and bigotry towards others. Just look at his rallies for the real Trump.
A majority of Americans saw right through him in 2016, that is the one thing that reassures me about America under this president.
3
Another phony photo op for someone who clearly doesn't give a darn about anyone but himself. What 45 should be doing is to call the house and senate back from their vacation to get to work on passing stricter gun laws. If he would for once put aside his thirsty ego and think about the future of our country as it pertains to safer gun laws, maybe, just maybe he would find himself in a more positive light. But alas, he's who he is and will never change. Let us not forget his racist rhetoric and keep his words fresh in our minds when we go to the ballot box in 2020.
7
Donald Trump's visit to these two cities is pouring a world of salt on the open wounds of the citizens. People must stop showing him any courtesy in deference to the Office he occupies.
He is the poster boy that lights the fire of the racist, white supremacist feelings these mass murderers bathe in. A large majority of Americans know this, especially in these two cities, at this time. His presence is a taunt, an insult. He is the criminal revisiting the crime scene while the crime is raw and still being investigated.
Mental illness, people being treated for emotional problems and mental illness, has nothing to do with these shootings. Republicans always blame mental illness as a way of never having to address the real problems.
As a white male citizen of Pennsylvania, I am legally allowed to (virtually without question) purchase an assault rifle, large capacity magazines and body armor.
That is the legal, untreated mental illness the Republican politicians, almost to a man or woman, refuses to address and correct.
3
“The president stands accused of embracing hateful rhetoric and dodging calls for gun control, prompting divided feelings in both places about whether his arrival will provide comfort or incite rancor.”
You do not provide a single instance of a person saying that Trump’s arrival will prove “comfort.” Not even his most rabid supporters see him as a consoling force. I know this is the story you want to tell—“views differ on the president”—but shouldn’t your seemingly factual assertions have an actual empirical basis?
7
Trump's visit will serve no purpose other than to cause more pain to those who are grieving.
His choice to visit El Paso is particularly egregious, given that " El Paso is situate on the border with Mexico, it has been a longtime focal point for Mr. Trump’s crusade to restrict immigration. And unlike in Dayton, the suspect in the Texas shooting left behind a political manifesto whose words echoed Mr. Trump’s language about immigrants, the border and national identity."
Of course, the feelings of those who are in the midst of burying their loved ones are of no consequence to the President whose actions and inflammatory rhetoric stopped short of pulling the trigger, while he loaded the guns of a number of mass murders by fanning the flames of white nationalism.
As this country mourns the murders of these innocents along with the family members who mourn their slain loved ones,
I mourn the death of decency, and blame not only Trump but those who have enabled him, and continue to enable him,
even as the body count rises.
Those of you who voted for Trump have blood on your hands, as do those who are in positions of power who have done nothing to stop him.
To those who plan to vote for Trump : How will you feel when it is YOUR spouse, parents, sibling or child who is gunned down ?
16
They’ll blame it on Obama.
1
@Mels
True. If they don't blame Obama, they'll find some way to blame the Clintons or anyone but Trump, and themselves.
This would be appropriate only if he apologizes in El Paso, either privately or publicly, for his own rhetoric.
7
He's going to Dayton because his advisors told him he has to not because he wants to. I think it would be better if he stayed away.
Perhaps he will go to Toledo instead.
14
@JC Guy
... right after he shows up for the Bowling Green Massacre memorial service. Bowling Green, Kentucky is only about 450 miles from Toledo, Ohio,
One remembrance at a time, Please.
4
Why is it that that our government was so effective at getting people to quit smoking yet it is unable to stop mass shootings.
Perhaps we need a new approach.
4
@Allan
Very good question.
Maybe we can convince the trump supporters that bullets cause cancer, just like wind turbines.
3
@Allan
Politicians have no intention of ever regulating that "well-regulated" militia. Guess it's supposed to regulate itself, but it isn't doing a very good job...
1
@Joe From Boston
We need to look very carefully at our response to these events. Trump's visits to sites of mass shootings is a excellent example of what NOT to do. His appearance elevates the status of the shooter and is an inducement to people to commit more of these events.
I can only hope he is not aware of this.
1
Trump should stay home, but he has to go for the obligatory speech and photo-op. Ideally, he would be met by mass protests, which is what he really deserves. Instead, he will turn this around and make it all about him, his usual m.o. I hope folks wake up in these red states and see Trump for who he really is: an empty, self-serving incompetent bloviator who has no intention of placating souls or uniting the country. If the events of the last few days have not spurred a reality check, what will?
9
On the White House lawn just now before leaving for Dayton, Trump claimed the Dayton shooter was a Bernie Sanders supporter and a "fan of Elizabeth Warren."
No surprise Trump is trying to smear other politicians in an attempt to deflect his responsibility for his inflammatory racist rhetoric.
9
Trump is the predictable end result of the dumbing down of America. We want easy solutions to complex problems and all we get is empty rhetoric from both sides.
Reality TV, social media and the 24 hour news cycle just fans the flames.
6
This will be as successful as attempting to extract wine from a goat.
4
Why wasn't Obama blamed for the mass killings and riots during his 8 years in office? Is one inoculated against blame for anything because one is black skinned?
Why aren't Dems blamed when they had control of both houses and the Presidency and did nothing about gun violence?
And don't tell me these shooting happened because of Trump's border policy because it was Obama's that set up child separation and deported far more people than Trump has.
Blaming Trump is like a child throwing a tantrum because he isn't allowed to run head first into traffic.
The hatred in the nation is fomented entirely by the Left. Period. And blaming a handful of White Supremacists while giving hated groups like Antifa is intellectually dishonest.
You know: politics being what they are, the Dems will sooner or later again get the Presidency. And when that happens, you can bet it'll be pay back time. Plenty of Republican governors and city leaders are going to make it clear that no Dem President is welcome in their area and your President will also spend his/her entire period in office being investigated, having his staff brought up on charges, and every action being sued in a court that is sympathetic to the Conservative ideals.
4
@Rocky
Sounds good. They will just bulldoze through all of the laws and subpoenas like the current administration has. No harm, no foul. Cheers!
7
Rocky,
Your utter denial of Trump’s tweets, campaign rally rhetoric and actions is astounding. Good luck with this behavior. Trump should be held accountable for his actions. Period. Blame Obama and the democrats all you want, truth and facts will rule the day.
8
@Rocky I guess the difference is the shooters during Obama’s time were not parroting hateful speech coming out of his mouth because there wasn’t any, if you can’t see the relationship to white supremacy and Trump’s rhetoric then you just have blinders on.
10
On September 23, 2016, the very conservative Cincinnati Enquirer understood:
https://www.cincinnati.com/story/opinion/editorials/2016/09/23/enquirer-endorses-hillary-clinton-donald-trump/90728344/
Quote:
…
Trump, despite all of his bluster about wanting to “make America great again,” has exploited and expanded our internal divisions. ...
The Enquirer has supported Republicans for president for almost a century – a tradition this editorial board doesn’t take lightly. But this is not a traditional race, and these are not traditional times. ... We need a leader who will bring out the best in all Americans, not the worst.
…
Trump is a clear and present danger to our country. He has no history of governance that should engender any confidence from voters. Trump has no foreign policy experience, and the fact that he doesn't recognize it – instead insisting that, "I know more about ISIS than the generals do" – is even more troubling. His wild threats to blow Iranian ships out of the water if they make rude gestures at U.S. ships is just the type of reckless, cowboy diplomacy Americans should fear from a Trump presidency. Clinton has been criticized as being hawkish but has shown a measured approach to the world's problems. Do we really want someone in charge of our military and nuclear codes who has an impulse control problem? The fact that so many top military and national security officials are not supporting Trump speaks volumes.
End Quote
They NAILED it, 100%. In 2016.
25
The only words Trump could say that would matter to me would be:
"I am sorry that my words have contributed to such tragedies. None of us should treat any fellow Americans as unworthy of life and kindness."
13
@Jean Trump has made it abundantly clear, over and over again, that he has no need to ask for forgiveness, never dome it before and will never do it...remember he is a demi-god who makes NO mistakes...cheer up Jean
1
Donald Trump - a hollow shell of a human being -has absolutely nothing to offer people in excruciating grief...ever. Never mind the empty words he will deliver. If Trump really wants to do something to "Make America Great Again" - get behind gun control in this country. Nothing Trump says will be as meaningful as immediate legislative action for gun control in this country.
14
There is no doubt in my mind what his visit will provide; and it isn't comfort. When was it ever?
10
This empty tank is incapable of "comfort." Stay out of our Southwest, Trump. Stay away. Don't come here. Ever.
29
The President of the United States visits a disaster area following a national tragedy. For a few nanoseconds America sets partisan politics to one side and comes together in remembrance of those we have lost. What could be more customary?
Except we live in a new age when fanatics want to rob us of that moment of unity and exploit the dead to vent their political hatred. They would politicize everything. How irresponsible of the Times to let their cacophony be heard above the nation's mourning.
6
@Ian Maitland
Trumps rhetoric mirrors and amplifies the hate that people like the El Paso shooter act out on. Trump uses hate for political gain, and this shooting was a manifestation of that hate.
To blame the NYT for their reporting is pretty hypocritical.
4
@Ian Maitland Ridiculous. This falls into the "fool me ten times" category. It's a photo op for him, free publicity, that is all. As he has done before, he will passively read a speech written for him that implicitly criticizes everything he's said before and, before you know it, he is back out there tweeting the same vile stuff. Castigating Obama, O'Rourke; sending his minions/Fox out to amplify those idiotic memes. Best if no one covers this and gives him the free publicity he craves.
1
The only way i would believe he was asking for unity is if i fell down and hit my head and have complete amnesia .
1
The people of El Paso and Dayton should line the streets along which the motorcade will drive, and TURN THEIR BACKS on him.
25
Just as they did in one of the memorials after the Dayton shooting, everyone should gather together when Trump arrives and shout "Do Something."
22
@Tired
Unfortunately "he" is incapable of doing anything. He has never done anything constructive, and many of the things he has allowed to happen (i.e. dismantling regulations protecting the people and our environment after being directed to do so by big business) have been destructive.
Most of the rest of the country does have your back, though, and hopefully will be able to make some headway come 2020.
5
How much longer will this go on? How much longer will the good people of this country be able to sustain the assault on all good things? This president deserves no respect. He is a foul mouthed grifter who has spent his life perfecting thuggery and hate. His children have been schooled in the power of chronic lying and stealing. Ivanka got a trademark for voting machines. How is that possible? We have hit the bottom of the barrel as family farms lose their livelihoods and soon their farms through a tariff scheme that I believe trump profits from via stock manipulation. The 'great' economy is a fiction. As our tax dollars go to trump family luxury travel, indulges and grifting in their private properties, the president doesn't pay cities monies owed for his hate fueled rallies. He hasn't paid for his trump university scam although ordered to do so and appears drugged when forced to read lies created by his staff from the teleprompter. We are in big trouble. As the loaded Supreme Court says it's okay to gerrymander and nut cases slaughter innocents, we pay millions and millions today for his photo op. And no, I WILL NOT BE QUIET.
32
Trump doesn’t stand “accused” of fanning hatred, racism and violence, he stands “video tapped and recorded” fanning hatred, racism and violence.
38
“Stoking controversy “ would be a better headline than “creating mixed feelings “. The Times shouldn’t focus on emotion, but rather issues and arguments. We need less drama and more substance.
5
It's time for the nation's military to pledge allegiance to the non-partisan Constitution and the freedom it ordains. Take no part in conflict. Remain impartial and inactive. Do not obey any commands of treason. Thank you.
This was a job for Pastor Pence, not the head of Chaos. Pence can dodge weave and obfuscate with the best of them with or without teleprompter while still speaking in complete sentences and not losing his mind.
4
An apt analogy of welcoming Trump to either El Paso or Dayton would be as if one invited Nero to fiddle some more after burning down Rome.
The premise of doing so under the pretext of respecting the office and not the man who has completely disrespected it, is a sadly weak and mealy mouthed example of what got him in there in the first place and what further enables him to continue the damage he causes.
17
What political stunt Trump does today is far less important than what he will be doing at his rallies and on his tweets from now to next year's election. Conceivably he could use the rest of his term to fight racism and gun violence but realistically he will not--he will soon return to stirring up his base with racist and violent rhetoric because that is what he enjoys.
19
@Susan
trump's team is racist and promote violence so they will soon be back to normal. And, the base will be jubilant. Sad to say.
People need to be active and vote the dotard out.
1
The description to this article under the headline wonders if Trump will provide conflict or comfort when he travels to the two cities. I may have paraphrased the sentence slightly, but I think that’s the gist of it. It got me wondering: in what speech or address has Trump ever provided comfort? I can’t think of even one example.
26
I was perplexed at how bold Trump was being to show up in two cities where these mass killings occurred arguably because of his hate. Well, the reason is to quench the anger this has caused with a predictable condemnation of him. He is so cold blooded, he will use mesmerizing psychology to sedate the nation in these public televised appearances.
Trump must be removed from the White House in order to heal the nation before it explodes. It is your decision. I seek peace, but many seek war.
19
It is preemptive to decide that his visit will be unwelcome ahead of time, but inevitably he will do something at best cringe-worthy and at worst worthy of condemnation, because of his inability to show or feel empathy, his intrinsic racism, and his need to make everything about him. If he goes and manages to show actual respect and empathy and lack of narcissism - well I'll eat my words, and in that case I cannot condemn his visits (although if I were in either city, I would certainly not attend any events with him and likely would use the opportunity to protest).
7
Donald Trump is by nature and nurture incapable or unwilling to comfort and console the local or state or the American in these national tragedies.
Trump can't conceal his callous cruelty behind a staged event and a teleprompter speech.
Trump is most comfortable, honest and open when he is tweeting and speaking nicknames and slurs while watching Fox News and playing golf and vacationing on one of his properties. Or at one of his propaganda campaign rallies.
Trump's trip to Puerto Rico after the hurricanes was a forced farce. He had his Cabinet and staff tell him about a fictional great relief effort. Then he tossed rolls of paper towels while Melania did her high fashion model message glamour walk.
Trump should have the sense of decency to stay away. But Trump has many persinal characteristics. And being covert stealthy, subtle, sympatheic, humble humane and empathetic are not among them.
12
I hope that at least one of the grieving families flatly refuses to see the person who instigated the death of their loved one. And tells the world why.
9
@lynchburglady
And truly though i loathe to say this either turns their back on him walking away or literally spits in his face
He has earned no less a response
2
The collusion is obvious. The demagoguery is obvious. The amoralism is obvious. The deliberately divisive nature of his campaigns is obvious. The preferential treatment of the super rich in economic and tax policy is obvious. This dishonesty of the man is obvious. His obstruction of justice is obvious. The cover-up and rationalization by Republicans of all the above qualities and behaviors in Trump is obvious, contemptible, and downright embarrassing.
20
I hate to say it but in a way they’re right about the rhetoric - both sides use it. The left must NOT take the bait and let up on the plutocrats. We can’t be a nation of mansions and slums. Or grinding inner cities and braindead working class (see, I forgot my kids....). And btw there IS an invasion. Look around outside. This is NOT a planned change in our society. BUT it’s about the GUNS. Keep it focused there. We need robust free speech SANS GUNS in the hands of terrorists and mentally unfit. That’s why T has to go: no science no expertise no credibility. Bye.
2
This is not a bad dream---it actually happened---
When Trump visited Puerto Rico after hurricane Maria he threw rolls of paper towels to his audience as a gesture of sympathy. (Or did he think the towels would really do the trick for mopping up the devastating storm damage?)
----maybe he has some left over and today will toss them to mourners in Dayton and El Paso to mop up their tears.
This is not a bad dream----Donald Trump is actually the real president of US.
8
@ANNE IN MAINE said "Donald Trump is actually the real president of US."
I beg to differ.
Donald Trump is the REALITY TV president of US.
1
"Mayor Nan Whaley of Dayton said that she was “disappointed” with Mr. Trump’s remarks about the two massacres but would welcome him to the city."
Why will she 'welcome him'? Why not 'accept' or 'tolerate' the visit, but 'welcome' him? Republicans love: "when they go low, we go high," because we Democrats do all of the Republican strategists' work for them by sabotaging our own party and our own country. Democrats are people-pleasers in the face of evil and we are ensuring a Trump reelection.
8
The shooters are the flame. Trump’s rhetoric and the abundance of guns are the gasoline. It is a deadly combination.
12
Mourning never served justice. Trump will appear in both cities to interject a mass belief in mourning as the term "Tragedy" will likely be said to temper the outrage this mass killing demands. Trump will seek to control the nation's population so they refrain from the justice of holding him responsible for the carnage. Don't let Trump's psychological diversion divert you from what has to be done; Trump must be removed from office peacefully. Rise from your despair this mass killing created and call for Justice, not sympathy.
6
@PATRICK
If this were any other person other than one who holds this office ( questionably) he/she would be on a perp walk now charged with
Incitement to riot
accessory to murder
civil rights violations
and multitudinous other charges
Instead he gets to give another staged fake and foul teleprompter performance
When is America going to learn to tune this provocateur out?
Esp since the media will not?
1
Trump never misses a chance to make an event about himself, even a tragedy. I hope he will follow the guidance of the teleprompter at least.
9
@Kristin Don't expect anything constructive from him! It's a photo op.
2
This president does not know how to bring the nation together for a healing or for anything else., He’s not a leader and definitely he’s not my leader. We the people are alone supporting each other. El Paso and Dayton needs empathy , words of love and comfort, but this president has zero empathy for human kind. It’s only about himself. I have zero respect for this individual. We need to bring the House representatives and Senate to pass a federal laws to stop domestic terrorism. We need to VOTE against republican politicians because they’re getting money from NRA. Also VOTE Mitch McConnell OUT He’s doing everything against everything that is important for our society and progress.
11
When the national mood supports the need to wall ourselves off from our neighbors, and own military grade rifles to feel secure, we no longer live in the country I thought I knew and loved.
6
@JH And "some people," as Trump likes to say, are suggesting armed guards be stationed at all public places. Can you believe it?
3
@Beth White
Mr. Trump apparently does not read - if he did, he might notice the number of articles by our own law enforcement officers who make it abundantly clear if you allow everyone access to what are effectively military weaponry, they are at extreme risk when they respond to the next onslaughts.
The GOP has lost all control as they clearly cower in the face of the need for actual law and order.
"President Trump will visit Dayton, Ohio, and El Paso on Wednesday in an attempt to deliver a message of national unity . . . "
What makes Trump think any of these devastated people want to see or hear him? Aren't they hurting enough without being subjected to his hypocritical words?
17
In the daily reality show created by a mentally unbalanced president, I admit that I want the worse for him. Tears? Have I lost it? No. As a proud American I will keep on keeping on trying in my own little way to influence a Trump impeachment or a historic, landslide victory in November, 2020.
9
Following the extreme rights logic, why bother making murder a crime? Criminals aren't going to obey the law anyway!
5
@Bill Oh, that's a good one. Nice and simple. Sorry, but I'm stealing it.
1
@Bill
"Following the extreme rights logic, why bother making murder a crime? Criminals aren't going to obey the law anyway!" I have heard this "logic" many times in my 76 years. My answer has always been "then why have stop signs? Not everyone is going to stop are they?"
2
Please, as today unfolds ( I wish Trump would just play golf today and leave these grieving cities in peace, but he won't... ), remember President Obama's actions and words after Sandy Hook and Charleston.
12
The arsonist wants to come pay tribute to those consumed by fire. Who could object? Patriotic Americans. The Baby King is unfit for office. He is a stain on the nation.
13
Innocent death as a political weapon -- WOW, how low can American politics go...
Instead of putting our heads together we are bashing them open. This party system will never produce any real change.
3
To First Responders in Panama City Beach, Destin, and other cities in the Florida panhandle: Trump has said that an El Paso style attack in your area is acceptable. Please make sure your blood banks, emergency services, and police are active-shooter prepared.
5
The most morbid campaign stops a president has ever made. Let’s be real that’s the only reason he is going.
7
Trump is too cowardly to attempt to speak before an audience the members of which he can't control.
Why doesn't he just turn these visits into campaign events. That way he can just speak before those who probably think the killings were the right thing to do.
6
All we need to do is remember his "visit" to Puerto Rico, tossing paper towels, or telling someone how lucky they were to have such a nice boat having floated in to their yard after a flood?
14
“...creating a mixed feelings...”
Well, if the feelings are stil mixed after all these tragedies it seems that Trump will be re-elected in 2020.
Accepting abuses and injustices would eventually take away your right to complain.
3
A Simple Parable:
A person stacks up a pile of dry wood
Another person douses the pile with gasoline
A third person tosses a lighted match into the pile and sets it ablaze
And everyone exclaims in shock and disbelief:
"How could this possibly have happened here??"
9
it's true. the criminal often returns to the scene of his crime.
9
If the people of El Paso, Texas do not want the President to come to their town , he should respect their sentiments. That is the least he can do at a time when the city is trying to heal from the loss. He continues to call names, he continues to vent against past Presidents, he continues to criticize people that do not agree with his opinion, how is he going to bring people together? When is he going to go stop everything personally? When will the healing process start in America?
5
@Me
Respect? Trump knows nothing of respect.
2
@Kristin, agreed. You would think people around him would advise him to restrain, hold back and let El Paso heal.
He should cancel his trip and do what he does best.
Watch TV, play golf, and continue disgracing the office of the presidency by tweeting petty insults at his critics.
No one on either side of the political spectrum would be surprised or expect anything else less of him at this point.
If he does actually show up, no one should attend.
If you do attend, turn your back on him while he speaks, or chant "YOU DID THIS" until he shuts up and goes back home.
11
Trump visiting El Paso and Dayton is akin to gasoline being poured onto a bonfire. He might not have collected the kindling of hate and division but he's got a box of matches, a can of fuel, and he never hesitates to use them. Trump's ability to disassociate himself from damage caused in his wake makes him a constant danger to himself and the nation. He's a two dimensional thinker with no concept of the past and no care for the future. He's not going to El Paso and Dayton to heal wounds, he's going to save votes, to obfuscate with badly read TelePrompTer quotes and a hastily drawn grief mask. He's never wrong and never at fault. Why do we tolerate him?
6
No mixed feelings for me : he doesn’t belong there as he is a contributing force to the tragedy that has taken place. He has yet to solve one problem in this country since taking office and his visit will only create more. This is the one time I’d prefer he’d play a round of golf.
4
I understand that journalistic ethics demand impartiality, but the statement “The president stands accused of embracing hateful rhetoric and dodging calls for gun control...” takes that impartiality to the point of untruth.
It seems unequivocal to me that the President has employed hateful rhetoric and rolled back gun control measures implemented under the previous administration. I think we are past time to mince words about the behavior of this President and his administration.
10
Will Trump throw paper towels at the residents?
4
The biggest disadvantage of having a president who is both head of government and head of state is that presidents acquire political power from their ability to pose as a symbol of the country and its history ... as the British monarch does.
One major benefit to Trump's torturous presidency is that he appears to be destroying the power of a president to strike that pose of leadership and continuity of national values. His base has become a permanent symbol of the dark side of American culture and history: it will not be possible for him to invoke his alleged relationship to the opposite side during his visits to Ohio and Texas.
Trump may be demonstrating that the ability of a president to function as head of state rests directly upon the president's maintenance of some form of political legitimacy with other factions.
1
I’ve always thought that this administration’s actions seemed designed to provoke violence. For example, announcing the immigrant mass roundup and deportation a few weeks ago well in advance seemed calculated to generate fear. If a family fought back to avoid deportation, especially with firearms, trump would be able to change the rules about how the standard level of force used in dealing with any suspected immigrants. He seems to be trying to get the military involved.
4
"President Trump will visit Dayton, Ohio, and El Paso on Wednesday in an attempt to deliver a message of national unity and healing."
Oh, please. He'll be visiting to try and score brownie points with voters in Texas and Ohio, two states that he won in 2016 and hopes to win next year. Had this happened in cities like Los Angeles or Chicago, located in reliably blue states that he knows he won't win in 2020, he wouldn't even have bothered pretending to care.
Trump's strategy, from the beginning, has been to exploit and exacerbate divisions along racial, religious, and ethnic lines. He sees himself as the president of red and purple states, not blue ones. And no one, supporters or opponents, believes for one minute that he cares about the victims in these or any other tragedies.
14
@lydgate I didn't see him in Gilroy, did you? Did he even mention it?
3
There is absolutely nothing Trump can say to ease the pain of victims and their families especially reading from a prepared speech. Trump has already said more than enough and I don’t mean that in a good way.
If he is truly sorry, take serious action to ban guns in this country…..enough is enough.
9
I don't know what kind of reception #45 will get today as he visits El Paso or Dayton, but one would have to believe it won't be as welcoming as one of his rallies. I even wonder if and how many of those affected by the shooting, of those killed and injured will even want to meet with him. Wouldn't it send a strong message if they all said no. What would he say to that response? If there are protests, which are likely, and in large numbers, how will #45 react, will he claim as he did in his visit to London, to maybe a small protest? It was actually a large protest as most of us saw on the news. There is little doubt that #45 will try to blames others as he speaks today, even if the majority of Americans no better.
3
@Ricky He'll probably start reading from a nice, politically correct speech, but won't be able to help himself from wandering from it and making it all about him and how wonderful he is.
1
Talk about false equivalence. White House officials try to defend Trump by pointing out that supporters of the Democrats have also dealt in divisive rhetoric and actions. The people they refer to were not the president of the United States.
7
I am always struck by how local and state elected officials affected by these horrible events (shootings and natural disasters) are better at saying the right thing at the right time than President Trump. They are comfortable governing. He is comfortable selling. It is long past time for his Republican supporters to tell tell him to put his megaphone down and his tweets away and go to work on learning how to listen, learn, and lead - instead of shout. Local and state elected officials of both parties do it everyday - 24/7 all year - and that is the least he owes this country. Enough is enough.
5
He doesn't need to say or do anything. Trump's mere presence is divisive. He must know that by now. I'm not one to credit the President with much forethought. However, there's a mouse spinning a wheel somewhere calculating the political consequences of visiting terrorist victims. The conclusion? There are none. Either Trump or his advisers see only upside in discomforting the mourning.
If protesters mount a public challenge, Trump can claim liberals are attempting to sabotage his new found and momentary love for unity. If the public collectively bites their tongue like the Mayor Whaley and Mayor Margo, Trump can say "See? Look what a great unifier I am." He checks the box and starts extolling the false narrative at his next campaign rally.
Whatever clicks and beeps are churning in the President's head, the visit certainly isn't about consoling mourning families or preventing new crimes. This is all about damage control for the White House. Trump is never known to abandon a strategy that's working. That includes embracing white supremacy. He figures what worked in Pittsburgh will work here.
5
@Andy Spot on Andy!
1
Trump should have to go to every house where a victim lived and speak directly to their family, after all his rhetoric was a huge contributor to numerous shootings.
2
Trump did not denounce anything. The words he read belie his true nature, but his body language and the coldness in his eyes tell the true story.
I think he is more worried about his base believing this false compassion. They like the show, the "lock her up" rhetoric, and will likely be confused by any message of harmony.
5
In Obama's 8 years there were 22 "mass shootings". Nothing changed. Do we blame Trump for El Paso and Dayton but not Obama for those under his watch. Careful what your rhetoric is.
The fact that the shooter was a Warren supporter gets lost in the race to criticize the President, endlessly.
Worse, the continuous focus on criticism of Trump by the left, and worse - the mainstream media - continue to give Congress and every other government layer a pass on their do-nothing actions.
Like the illusionists "watch this hand here..." while he tricks you with the other hand, the endless goal to criticize deflects attention from ALL the other leaders who do nothing.
3
@John -- Sure, the Dayton shooter was a Warren supporter. Has Warren ever used dehumanizing language to describe those she opposes? Has she ever described anyone, anywhere as an animal, vermin, vomit, etc.? Has she ever suggested a "Second Amendment solution" to deal with an adversary? Has she ever grinned while hearing her supporters chant, "Send them back?" Has she ever smiled as someone in her crowd suggested that an immigrant be shot? Give me a break. Your argument is very weak, ignores huge aspects of the dialogue here, and miss the point. That sort of thinking is beneath you, and I think you must know that. Sheesh. The lowering of our country's rational thinking as a whole appeals me. Did you not study debate in school??
2
@John
I'm sorry, but your "whataboutism" argument is flawed. I haven't seen Republicans move to do anything to stop the gun violence in this country. Please advise all the laws the Republicans have passed for gun control. Also, please provide documented statements attributed to President Obama supported racism, bigotry, etc. We have numerous examples from Trump. Careful what your rhetoric is...
The only conceivable thing Trump could say to the people of El Paso to appease them is, "I'm sorry. I realize now that my words provoked this, inspire people like the shooter, and even encourage them. That was not my intent, but that is what happened. I will change my rhetoric, now understanding the consequences." That will happen when something is done about guns in this country, namely...never. Trump should stay away from El Paso.
4
@Virginia
A narcissistic sociopath will never, ever, ever admit any real wrong-doing or culpability. They may dance around it vaguely while misdirecting the blame, but never FEEL remorse or culpability. Ever. That's the nature of their disorder.
1
Donald Trump's America had three mass shootings last week. His speechwriters will provide him with empty platitudes, "thoughts and prayers" when he visits Dayton and El Paso. Predictably, he will try to steer the script away from producing gun legislation meant to protect the public, using the smokescreen of mental health and video games as the culprits or talk about himself. Dayton and El Paso, with all their unbearable suffering, must now deal with a potentially controversial and costly presidential visit from an individual who lacks the most basic compassion and thinks nothing of encouraging violence at his rallies. The truly effective way to get the president's attention is for these two cities to bravely refuse his costly, controversial and pointless visit until he actually does something, like stand up to the NRA and a Republican Senate who look the other way every time these frequent massacres now take place and stop sowing division in this country. As the president, he is accountable for the safety for all citizens and must be held to that standard by the American people.
3
Didn’t both of these states go to Trump in the last election? Does anyone believe the minds of those who voted for Trump will be changed by charges of “divisive rhetoric”? ( let alone the 32 killed in these shootings). Indeed, I believe many of his supporters will be emboldened.
The message we all should take from this is simple. This is America. Americans don’t want gun control; otherwise we’d have it. They also don’t want immigrants coming across the southern border. They condone borrowing more money, which goes to fund tax breaks for the few.
In other words, we got what we wanted. It’s possible that the future will bring what we deserve.
I hate to admit this, but politics and sports are closely related. I live in Iowa and we do not have a national sports team. People here will say that they absolutely love Chicago teams or Wisconsin teams. If they love one they hate the other. What is the rationale? The players change over the years much as the members of political parties change. The players and political figures for the most part are just normal people, but we worship them as gods and they make so much money and that is just accepted. The average person cant tell you why they truly are liberal or conservative. Almost no one is just one thing. The people that like Trump are not brainwashed, they dont think he is smart, they just root for him because someone told them being conservative is good and liberals are bad. Obviously no one supported good evidence because it does not exist. We are all a little of both. We should try to recognize that more, rather than just rooting for or against every move someone makes. I am not into sports. I dont have a favorite team. When I do watch I can appreciate a good play by either team without feeling they did something for me or against me personally. That is the issue with politics. They ARE doing something for us or against us. Unfortunately because we root for them as OUR team we dont feel it as personal when they send our jobs away or eliminate the middle class..
The rapid pace with which Republicans and the Trump WH came out with their absurd "blame video games" and other defenses of Trump indicated to me, right away, that they also know that Trump's rhetoric was culpable in the shootings (El Paso, definitely; Toledo, unlikely - yes, I know it's Dayton). Their priority clearly was to defend and protect Trump, which says to me the they knew themselves that his behavior and rhetoric would be noted as a provocation.
3
@Virginia
The fact that the EP shooter's 'manifesto' took the time to mention his rhetoric and that somehow the shooter's opinions predated that rhetoric is telling as well. If the two truly had nothing to do with one another, the shooter wouldn't have felt a need to bring it up when compiling his own useless tripe of a document. He knew what he felt and how he felt encouraged by Trump's speeches and tweets.
Trump’s words will always ring hollow. Is anyone really surprised that a mass murder has now been committed in his name by a killer using his very words? There’s a direct correlation between his vile rhetoric, the rise in hate crimes, and now mass murder. Fine, let him go, but don’t expect a warm welcome from the locals.
2
Not reacting to the visit of Trump is as dangerous as reacting. This man divises.
1
"The Trump campaign was unapologetic on Tuesday about a New York Times report on its Facebook advertisements that use the word “invasion,” which featured prominently in the El Paso suspect’s manifesto".
The Oxford Dictionary defines invasion as "an unwelcome intrusion into another's domain". The president's use of it to describe what has been occurring along our border for the the past year is entirely appropriate for anyone who respects our sovereignty and our laws. For all those who promote open borders and encourage the lawless disregard of our laws, use of the word is "racist". No where in the Oxford dictionary does it include "invasion" as a synonym for racism. It seems we are descending into a truly Orwellian world
2
I can’t imagine anything more hypocritical than suggesting that somebody show respect while at the same time showing disrespect by making a demeaning reference to that person’s name.
Maybe the El Paso airport can have an emergency runway closure to stop Air Force One from landing.
1
In times of tragedy, a good leader must soothe his country and and remind his people of the greater world that we strive for. If Trump is inept at anything (and God knows there is so much) he is inept at this important and somber presidential duty. What could Trump say that anyone would believe?
He should go golfing instead.
4
Not only sticks and stones can break bones, words can be equally harmful. Only the very young and inexperienced accept the words of that puerile rhyme literally. Given the Bully Pulpit , words are extremely powerful, especially among those who lack education ; words can break bones.
If Trump now comes as a penitent to beg forgiveness for the lives he has shattered by his thoughtless and divisive words, which have encouraged the white nationalist terrorist movement, then he should be welcomed. How nice and appropriate it would be if he came in sackcloth with thorns on his brow, for the evil he has done is great.
I dream. It will never happen with this man whose entire life focuses on his winning, his having more---no matter how many others are hurt. And to win in 2020 he has nothing else to offer other than the "migrant invasion" against which only he and his wall will protect the whites.
No, he should not be welcomed. Signs and protesters should chant, scream, at him "Go back to where you came from!" This rejection, this chant, suits him better than it did the others against whom it has been used.
2
I am hoping Trump will be booed mercilessly in El Paso. He certainly does not belong there with his racist rhetoric, all documented today in the Times article citing European incredulity about how America deals with the scourge of guns (or I mean does not deal with this issues) and how Americans voted for someone as divisive and hateful named Trump in the first place. In my mind he owes all Americans an apology and a complete revision, of himself, or he should not even think of running in 2020.
3
Trump's visit is none other than a vitrine. He shows up because it must have been advised he should. Most likely to gain Latinos vote for an upcoming election. He doesn't strike me as a man who even cares for Latinos or any minority groups. His prior statement" there are nice people on both sides" still resonate to reveal how little he is offended by White Supremacy.
.
2
It is good he visits El Paso and sees first hand the tragic consequences of his words, rhetoric, incitement of hate against human beings who do not happen to be white.
There is a faint hope it will trouble his conscience ( if he has one) and cause him to cease his hateful comments and actively denounce those who follow those comments .
Even today he attacks in a most personal way Beto O’Rourke .
Why not curb his instincts to hit back and start to act like a President of a grieving community and Nation
1
Never in the History of the US has the Presidency been so squandered.
8
@Casey
Yes, and at a time when moving forward has never been more important.
2
I’m not a shaman nor a soothsayer, but mark these words: Trump will somehow manage to defile the dignity of mourning in Dayton and El Paso. He won’t read the memo that these visits are NOT campaign stops. I cringe to think how his impromptu rhetoric will make two detestable mass murders even worse.
4
Like the arsonist circling back to watch the fire.
3
I’m a citizen, and he’s my president,” said the rabbi, Jeffrey Myers. “
1
@.
I'm a citizen, and he makes it 100% clear that he DOES NOT REPRESENT ME, a liberal Democrat, so he gets NO RESPECT from me.
I respect the Office of the President of the United States. The current occupant? Not so much.
3
@Joe From Boston
I agree completely.
I respect the position, not the person.
1
I hope the people of Dayton and El Paso rally in large numbers during his visits to protest peacefully, valiantly, his blatant lies and meanderings about immigrants, gun control, mental illness vs the availability of assault weapons,and cowtowing to the conservative elements in our government. This is a mounting firestorm.
Trump's lie-count is up to what now? 11,000?
Nothing, absolutely nothing, that comes out of Trump's mouth has any credibility, nor will it today as he zombie-reads his way through another teleprompter speech larded with empty words.
1
Is Trump the most disliked politician in US history? Yes? No?
Most disliked, hard to say. Most frightening, absolutely!!!
Any other President and I might have faith that he could do make these visits and not turn it into a campaign rally. He can't and he won't. And, in him, I have no faith. He is a clown, pure and simple.
Gilroy California is left off the list of places to visit. Thank goodness because I don’t want him to set foot in my state. When he was here to offer “condolences” after the wild fires last year he couldn’t even get the name of Paradise (“Pleasure”) correct.
3
Trump has no heart or soul. He cannot possibly offer genuine concern or sympathy for the people of those cities. If I were in those cities I would be deeply insulted that this vile person with his phony concern, who eggs on hatred and racism, would show up for a photo op.
1
I’m sorry—how is Trump not responsible for this again?? Oh, right, he’s the president that talks about brotherly love all the time.
It is necessary to have a hard heart and face, to be able to take comforts to the Hispanic communities that were vilely assaulted with an automatic rifle that blinded the lives of 22 people including families and the elderly even worse when it is the president who is the main figure who it must protect the entire population with its management and worse still the redundancy when the assassin was inspired by the hatred of the president of the United States Donald Trump and the Republican party that until now did not condemn the criminal attack making his indifference to this community.
Mr. Trump is a non-leader in a leadership position. Leaders listen, are introspective, they empathize and internalize, they motivate, encourage and support, they give credit to others rather than take credit, they inspire, they are humble, and they have self doubts.
Jesus at his last supper knelt before his disciplines and washed their feet. He didn’t strut around the stage, chest puffed out in a faux show of strength while his disciplines chanted “send them back” or boast about the crowd size at his crucification.
The president is void of leadership qualities, always has been and never will. To ask more from him is a fools errand. We can respect the office of the President but we should never respect this man. We can criticize this man, but it’s more important to vote.
1
The mass murderer in El Paso echoed Trump’s words in his pathetic defense of his cowardly attack on innocents.
Trump doesn’t intend to stop using such divisive and incendiary language.
The good people of El Paso should turn their backs on Trump when he speaks because he has turned his back on them.
Similarly, his words about doing something about gun control are as hollow as he is. He voided Obama’s Executive Order putting on more stringent checks for people with mental illness. He has no intention of following through on his promises. “Thoughts. Prayers, and Empty Promises.”
The good people of Dayton should turn their backs on him when he speaks.
“a future of justice, safety, tolerance, morality, dignity and love.”
For who?
Maybe if enough people told Trump that Toledo is where he wants to go, he'd leave the people of El Paso to mourn in dignity.
1
This Fake President lacks the basic human decency to stay away from the killing grounds that he has had a role in creating, through his unending inflammatory rhetoric. The only positive for his contamination today of those grieving cities is that he, undoubtedly, will clearly show his incapacity for any empathy and compassion, further turning people against him and his toxicity. Make America Great Again? No, Make More American Gravesites!
Maybe Trump can tell the people of El Paso and Dayton that “There were some very fine people on both sides.”
#discomforter-in-chief
1
I doubt if he would have the gall to stop and congratulate the very fine shooter while he's there. Maybe just a quick surreptitious thumbs-up if they happen to drive by the jail though...
2
The arsonist shouldn't go and bask in the charred remains of the places he set fire to.
3
You may greet him accordingly but remember he is the Grand Wizard standing up for Robert E. Lee, white nationalism and empower the wealthy. He wears a cross under his white shirt however the cross is burning.
1
President Trump should go to El Paso and Dayton to pay his respects. He is the president after all. His critics would criticize him if he stayed away and no matter what he does they bring on the hate. He is not a racist and has not spoken ever in racist terms. This is just more hate coming from the left.
1
Trump can't "deliver a message of national unity and healing." That ship sailed a long time ago.
2
His remarks on Monday morning were predictably insincere, and we can expect more of the same from his visits to these traumatized cities. He is a complete and utter disgrace.
2
Regardless of how you feel about the POTUS, he’s just that; he’s supposed to go.
Donnie--the perpetrator of violence and hatred--only deserves protest. He is not welcome!
1
‘This is a very, very serious moment in our country’s history,’ Hogan Gidley, a White House spokesman, said on Tuesday. ‘This president recognizes the gravity of this moment.’
This isn’t a “moment.” Appalling numbers of gun deaths are a daily occurrence. This is an era.
2
I won't be watching these photo ops today even though one of them is just 20 miles south of me. This is all about Trump getting on television today--bogarting air time and playing at president. The media spends way too much time analyzing the obvious.
1
trump only wants to revel in the evil power of his words - or so he thinks.
Perhaps he should go to Toledo. Toledo Strong!
3
Protesters should greet Trump with chants of "send Trump home" or "lock Trump up". Then see how he likes to bask in the attention for what he has caused.
1
I imagine Trump is stretching out his throwing arm this morning, getting ready for a paper towel toss in El Paso.
Will he be going to Toledo or Dayton?
Dear Mr. Trump:
Following the theory you put forward after the Tree of Life massacre, I presume that all Hispanic, Muslim, and Jewish families in this country should be certain to purchase and carry guns. After all, it doesn’t appear to be the responsibility of the nation to protect its citizenry.
2
Instead of reading from a scripted speech that looks like a hostage video, Trump should hold on of his rallies in El Paso. Then he should visit Toledo.
1
DJT, the first Bot President. Perhaps techies will figure how to at least mimic, if not install, a heart in their next version.
Mixed feelings about Trump’s visiting?? Talk about “balanced” journalism!! Of course what these grieving folks need is a hate rally to mobilize the mob, spread disinformation, and another addition to Trump’s unpaid tab for these taxpayers to finance his “event”.
2
Trump will make an error and visit Toledo instead of Dayton...
I hope the headline summarizing his appearances in Dayton and El Paso is simply: "Trump Reads Teleprompter."
6
This is how despots gain power—people “respect” the position they hold until it’s too late. Folks, you are operating in a different moral system when you respect the office despite the person in it and how that person is using and abusing that office. He’s using you.
3
It's been evident for years Trump was headed to this place and, once elected, we were headed here with him. Trump spent 4 years before running for president using 'birtherism' to try to delegitimize President Obama. Who would do this but an evil, racist, irresponsible person willing to use race to try to destabilize our country?
His campaign was a stupid, chaotic stew of threats, insults, crazy lies and intimidation. Possibly the worst moment was when Trump talked about 'gun rights' and said perhaps a second amendment fan would 'take care' of Hillary Clinton if she became president. Trump posted a tweet threatening a couple who had donated money to G.O.P. candidates in the past after they said publicly they wouldn't donate money to him. Trump famously stalked Hillary Clinton onstage during one of the presidential debates and said if he was elected Hillary would 'be in jail.'
I don't get people suddenly being horrified. Trump has promoted violence and racism for years. It wasn't covert. He did it out in the open. Remember "Mexicans are rapists" at his campaign announcement.
From now on, watch what Trump says & don't dismiss it's as 'locker room talk,' 'hyperbole' or 'campaign talk.' Trump isn't a subtle person. The "Access Hollywood" recording was proven by accusations of sexual assault by a dozen women,
including an allegation of rape by E. Jeanne Carroll verified by 2 friends after it happened.
Fool me once?
Trump was never just fooling.
6
Trump's Twitter post to Beto O'Rourke literally sickens me. So many innocents killed, families in pain and grief. And he continues to politicize. An evil, evil man.
31
@Paula All he has to do is ignore things like this even if he disagrees. Doing nothing would be 1000x better than his usual reaction.
2
Will he make it to the right OH city?
15
The victims of the El Paso and Dayton shootings and their families need to hear from someone who has empathy, not someone who is empty.
23
To every one of the commentators objecting to Trump's visit: you would be the first to condemn him for not bothering to visit. Democrats running for President as well as the mass media urged Trump to condemn white nationalism; when he did that, he was condemned for doing that. Don't you realize most Americans have had enough of your hypocrisy.
6
When he stayed away from the Pittsburg synagogue shooting, people were relieved, not angry.
27
No one wants him in El Paso.
26
@skeptic--What would make more of an impact would be if Trump visited Dayton and El Paso and met quietly with survivors and residents away from the media and with no fanfare. But, he's turned it into a big event, almost like one of his rallies, that is ultimately more about him than anyone else.
More helpful to the residents of El Paso than a visit from Trump might be if he paid the half million dollars he owes the city for his MAGA rally held back in March. That money could go toward providing help for victims and survivors.
32
"This is the worst day of my Presidency" - Obama after learning of the Sandy Hook shootings.
Obama wiping away tears as he addressed the media after the tragedy.
This is empathy...this is respect...this is understanding the moment...this is real emotion.
Compare that with Trump tweets, Trump innuendo about video games...Trump sparring with Beto.
25
@Howard Levine
Obama had compassion and integrity and felt grief and sorrow after hearing of those senseless murders.
I can still see Reagan in my mind when he addressed the families of those fallen astronauts at a memorial service in Houston. He had tears in his eyes when he addressed, thanked and hugged each family member in person.
The only thing the present guy did was probably wipe the sweat from his brow from being in the sun while chipping away at those golf balls us tax payers paid for.
4
Could the New York Times put together a timeline of every time Trump expressed racist comments? Examples with dates. Several news outlets have been showing example by broadcasting video clips, but I think there is great value in seeing a timeline with the statements made, maybe using the format in the Upshot. We must not forget each and every comment, this listing would be devastating. He is a monster.
31
It would be great if he went to Toledo instead.
19
@Phil M
Great comment Phil but I doubt Toledo wants him there either.
5
The ugliness of these Trump apologists. Listen to this Hogan Gidley, who wants to "both sides" domestic terrorism by blaming Democrats for other shootings, despite the fact that it's the president himself who's stoked the racist violence for years and it's the president's words repeated in the El Paso murderer's manifesto. And now Trump, advised by the least qualified White House staff in recent history, is going to the sites of the recent massacres. Why? He's no comforter-in-chief. He's just making campaign stops.
17
Action speaks louder than words: Trump needs to avoid hosting any more of these big rally events that he uses to pump up the hateful rhetoric against minority citizens and immigrants. He is inciting violence and he knows it. There is a base of support within his rally crowd that is just looking for affirmation that they should start shooting anyone who is not an Anglo-American.
18
The tragedy is barely over and Trump is already trying to extort gun law reform in exchange for immigration reform from Congress. The President is ruthless and evil and can’t be trusted.
22
As an aside, wouldn't Nan Whaley make a great Governor of Ohio? or, dare I say...
Dayton is dear to my heart; I went to Anitoch for college in the 70s, and Dayton represented city life. Folks there are just that plainspoken. It's a great grief to see this happen there.
5
Trump is bound to promote himself even during a time of great sorrow. Trump has no limit to his inappropriate and dangerous words and actions.
27
I don’t understand welcoming the “office” of the president when Trump himself disgraces it every day.
Would it not send a clearer message to tell him he is not welcome? Or at least, “welcome” him with banners quoting his own hateful words or with turned backs?
That would at least deny him the optics of acting presidential which is all these visits are to him anyhow—an act just for show.
21
@Chip
I think that's the EP mayor's way of saying he feels he has to, not that he wants to. He's a Repub and may feel he still has to pay face value to a visit, even though all his rhetoric demonstrates he clearly disagrees with it and would be unwelcoming if he could. (remember that Rs eat their own quite readily for trivial stuff as not towing the party line) The Dayton mayor is a Dem and can be freer with her opinions of the WH loud mouth. I would suspect that while the EP mayor will 'welcome' the person occupying the office of the president, he won't be particularly warm about it; he'll likely be very stiff and formal.
I visited El Paso a little over a year ago as a part of my job back then. I recall everyone being very friendly and gregarious (not something you usually see in a city that size), being openly polite to one another. It tears my heart out to see the fear and grief so evident in all the photos of people from there now. And it angers me that there could be people (starting with Disconnected Donald) who would believe that words have no impact. Were that true, there'd be no such thing as bullying (direct or cyber), no one would die for some idiot shouting 'Fire' in a crowded space, and the idea of radicalization would be impossible. Donnie may not have personally set this particular fire that resulted in the deaths in EP, but he certainly laid out the timber and provided the match through his pointedly hateful speeches and tweets.
1
Will Trump speak from his heart, or will he read what someone else has written for him? I suspect the latter. I can't imagine people wanting to come to see Trump trying to hog the spotlight, as well as, trying to look like he has empathy for those who just lost loved ones. If Trump doesn't realize how his words support and reinforce the far-right rhetoric how can he sympathize with the people of El Paso and Dayton. Trump is trying to avoid sound bites for the 2020 election, and make him look like he understands the need for gun control. You'll hear what the real Donald Trump feels at his next campaign rally.
7
Young people in other top 20 nations are just as obsessed with violent shooter video games, but they are not shooting their neighbors. So, either other nations have FAR SUPERIOR health care that has remarkable "mental health" success rates, OR it's true what other nations are saying: That the NRA gun lobby has created a " gun culture" and our current president has spewed hatred of minority citizens and immigrants (also journalists) to the point of violent action by his supporters.
11
It seem criminals do return to the scene of their crimes. I’d rather Trump went to prison than El Paso or Dayton.
13
I can't recall a time in modern American history when, after a tragedy, people felt that a visit and condolences by a president was unwelcome. That, to me, speaks loudly about Donald Trump's lack of fitness to hold national elective office.
20
Whether he is welcome or not, Trump will gain the attention he craves by visiting these grieving cities. He is far too narcissistic to care one way or the other.
El Paso and Dayton deserve more than hollow words from a morally hollow man. As do we all.
12
People should stay out of site to indicate the fact that they don't want Trump in their community. No audience is the best protest
9
The only way President Trump could possibly deliver a message of unity and healing by visiting Dayton and El Paso, is to go there, give hugs to the injured victims and the families of the deceased, and leave without saying or tweeting anything.
2
There's been so much killing by white supremacist terrorists in America before the El Paso massacre, it's easy to forget the response of the community in Pittsburgh to a massacre by a white supremacist just 9 months ago.
At the time more than 35,000 residents of the Pittsburgh community which was targeted by a white supremacist terrorist who murdered 11 Jews in a synagogue and injured many others, and who was part of an online white supremacist group and a believer in the great replacement conspiracy theory which Trump repeatedly parrots, signed an open letter to President Trump. It was created by the leaders of a Pittsburgh Jewish community and said that the president was not welcome in the city unless he denounced white nationalism and stopped "targeting" racial, ethnic, and religious minorities.
Trump traveled to Pittsburgh anyway, and entirely ignored the letter.
Trump not only failed to stop "targeting" minorities after previous mass shootings, after each mass shooting he targeted more minorities, and with more vitriolic rhetoric. This is directly connected to at least 22 people who are mostly Latino, and who include young children, being murdered.
The country is in chaos thanks to Trump as fear now reigns. Motorcycles backfire in Times Square and people trample each other thinking there's a mass shooting; in Utah a sign falls and the same thing happens.
More people have been killed, and Americans everywhere live in fear.
Make no mistake, this is Trump's fault.
14
It is up to the mourners, including the President, to show respect and give comfort to the survivors, not the other way around. If the President just can't bring himself to do that, he indeed ought to stay home.
4
Trump should stay away. He already stiffed El Paso for $600k in unpaid services for his last appearance there, his February rally.
16
I am sure no one wants him to show up. He is only doing it to present a false political statement.
3
Trump's comments about Beto are all you need to read to know for sure that he in no way appreciates the gravity of this moment. We are trapped in the reality TV show of Donald Trump's sick, fevered brain. Before the election Mitt Romney said of trump: "This is the very brand of anger that has led other nations into the abyss."
I'm beginning to feel hopeless. I fear that we have been led into the abyss.
14
Haven’t the good people of Dayton and El Paso suffered enough?
11
I hope they challenge that loser and demand that his campaign pay for the security costs incurred when he held that inflammatory rally in El Paso back in February.
How disgusting that a campaign with over a $100 million in donations doesn't pay its bills. Oh wait, it is a Trump organization. My bad, entities that he heads up go bankrupt, they don't pay their bills.
Trump, great at hate. Not so good at being either socially or economically responsible.
15
Remember the Parkland shooting? He needed a memory card stating: "Show empathy"
This is how sad the situation truly is: we have a soulless shell sitting in the WH, one who needs to be reminded to show empathy to gun violence victims...as it does not occur to him naturally.
8
It was hard to see, but underneath the direction to show empathy on the card, in smaller print, was the definition of the word “empathy.”
2
He should just stay away from both cities. He has nothing to offer, other than just getting in the way. Two observations:
A host on a radio show this morning expressed the wish that Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley would “behave herself” when meeting Trump. Setting aside the insultingly patronizing and sexist undertone, shouldn’t that request be more appropriately directed at our Commander in Chief?
And, isn’t it funny how he so coldly talks about the shootings, but then is right back on full Twitter personal attack mode against Beto O’Rourke, telling *Beto* to have respect for the victims and mocking O’Rourke’s polling numbers?
Who would ever want to accept any kind of condolence from this man? This is more like a slap in the face, especially to El Paso.
5
I said "hate hate". The best speech ever. They loved me. Wait till the next time.
3
What would Trump know about “justice, safety, dignity, morality, hope or love”. He has no capacity for any of these feelings, let alone belief in any of these virtues.
Trump in both his personal life and in his professional life has shown this over and over. Married 3 times, cheated on all 3 wives, several bankruptcies, and over ten thousand lies and counting while in office.
Picks Cabinet members who are as bad as him in causing harm to the citizens of this Country.
It is about time that Trump is held responsible for his hateful rhetoric, lies and actions at his rallies.
When will the Congress vote to impeach him. It is way past time.
5
Like Pittsburgh last Fall, Trump is going to Dayton and El Paso to gloat over his hatred and bigotry. The GOP mayor of El Paso is welcoming Trump with open arms. The mayor of Dayton is not thrilled that Trump is coming, but the governor is.
Maybe what the people of El Paso and Dayton should do is drown out Trump's so called sympathy speech and yell "Go Home". Meaning go back to his home of his ancestors; Germany.
5
It's always going to be about him. He constantly wants to remain the center of the universe.
Press: I think you should start ignoring this man. Humans have not evolved enough to keep themselves from being addicted to dark news.
3
El Paso used to be one of the safest, most colorblind cities in the nation. Until trump started tweeting how dangerous it is. Now, lots of graves, guns, thoughts and prayers. maga maga
2
For months I find myself trying to decide if electing Trump (though indirectly via the electoral college) is the worst thing America has ever done. Is it worse than our history of slavery, worse than the Viet Nam war, worse than invading Iraq after 9/11, worse than dropping the atomic bomb on Japan?
Time will tell, as the damage Trump has done to our country domestically and internationally is as yet incalculable. But I am certain that if Trump is re-elected, America may never recover from the malignant scourge of his presidency. He is a vector of evil, destroying our traditions and poisoning our national psyche.
8
Trump should visit every state, every city where someone has died from gun violence. That should keep him busy enough to be off the golf course until the next election.
5
Hopefully there will be demonstrations for Trump not being welcome!
5
The arsonist in the crowd admiring at the fire, admiring his work.
5
Well after reading that, I see the gaslighting, whataboutism, and false equivalence still runs strong with the Trump apologists.
4
Trump must be called out - as do his supporters - for their ugliness, arrogance and total disregard for humanity.
What is forgotten in every article and opinion piece is that 90% of the evangelical Christians voted for Trump in 2016 and intend to do so in 2020.
Does white male supremacy equal white evangelical Christians? This topic has not been addressed in the media and it must be.
7
If you want to know, this is but one reason why I will never go to the police or feds. This government runs a fantasy nation and once in their hands, I would be blackmailed, threatened, as before, and likely killed in a carefully choreographed lie of a case. So why because of this? Because Trump has been getting away with it for years. Even a former F.B.I. Director let him off.
1
His visit to El Paso has more than a little irony. The tap root of our national evil, the disease of racism, has been appropriated by the president. His presence there is but a TV news moment, lacking even a grain of empathy or condolence.
Until he and his minions are driven out of power, more hatred and hate-inspired violence will rear its ugliness on our troubled land.
4
It’s hard not to conclude that the reason Trump is visiting these two cities is because (1) he’s been told he has to, and (2) because there were people not of color who were killed there. It’s hard not to conclude that this man who has repeatedly demonized immigrants, blacks, Mexicans, Central American migrants fleeing violence, Africans at his “rallies” now actually feels even an ounce of real sympathy or empathy for those dead and their families, friends and relatives. A man who has to read — haltingly read— “heartfelt” words from a TelePrompTer but can riff off the cuff the kind of venomous bile he spews at his divisive political events and incessantly on Twitter is telling you what he really thinks and feels. The reason there are “mixed feelings” (quite a neutral sounding euphemism for what people are really feeling) is that Dayton (not Toledo, Donald) and El Paso know a phony when they see him.
6
You wouldn't think that Trump was creating mixed feelings based on the Times' execrable headline from two days before. Did Trump really call for unity vs racism? Only because he was forced to stand there and (poorly) read a script written for him by someone else. Nothing was sincere about it, and he won't be sincere when he visits, either. What will the Times headline be then? "Trump provides solace and unity for nation?" Give me a break.
4
The reverence that Americans have for ‘the President’ flies against commonsense. Let known facts be acknowledged: you have had some real rotters take over the office. There’s no need to list names here. Do it yourself. Run through those names since Truman, pausing to note the morally or politically corrupted ‘Presidents’. Trump, it seems, is outstandingly rotten, especially for his very dubious and compromised win – just to start a long list of failings. Still Americans are the problem for giving reverence to someone undeserving. Holding your nose while you salute the flag is not enough.
1
"President Trump will visit Dayton, Ohio, and El Paso on Wednesday in an attempt to deliver a message of national unity and healing to two cities scarred by mass shootings over the weekend and where many grieving residents hold him responsible for inflaming the country’s racial divisions."
Trump's undeniable inflammatory rhetoric over the years has created a no win situation for him. In his attempts to "deliver a message of national unity" he will be seen and heard either as someone who is insincere and merely "talking the talk" or someone who is a hypocrite, just trying to muster early votes for his re-election 2020 campaign.
I just don't know how someone can talk trash and plant hateful and hurtful seeds in the past 2 1/2 years and then suddenly expect people to believe or trust him, much less come together as a nation in unison.
He may be able to sell his message to his base, but deep down, there are a ton of folks who feel more insulted than united by his words.
Where was he after the Parkland or Vegas or Sutherland Springs massacres?
168
@Marge Keller
Agree.
And Trump began promoting the 'birther' idea that Obama was not born in the U.S. in 2011 on "Good Morning America" - obviously planting hateful seeds of racism and seeking to delegitimize President Obama for his own ends - sowing racism, doubt and discord.
26
@fast/furious
Again?
Still?
He is a bottomless pit of perditious evil and hate.
11
@fast/furious
Sow the wind, reap the whirlwind.
This will be one of the most interesting and revealing days of the United States of America.
7
What a horrible political party the Republicans turned out to be. To send a bully and a person who loves daily chaos to a place suffering the loss of 20 plus Mexican Americans. By Trump using and mocking the word invasion the gunmen used invasion several times in his manifesto. Trump stay away from both cities you are not a healer but a divider. Distance yourself from the NRA. Actions mean more than your words now.
33
I remember that in the last years of Obama's Presidency while visiting Oklahoma a group of racist jerks gathered on the parade route to wave Confederate Battle Flags (for the idiots who probably display but don't know what I'm talking about, it is the one you think of as the rebel flag) at our first African-American President. For the life of me I cannot think of what could be used to insult Trump like that. Trump is one of those people who is so stupid he is difficult to insult. Any suggestions?
24
@Max Deitenbeck
NATO, UN and EU flags?
1
@Max Deitenbeck Seems to me Trump is so thin-skinned and extremely easy to insult. In fact, as president, he seems to spend his days responding to every conceivable slight and insult, including now, in the wake of 30 people massacred, raging at the New York Times for changing a misguided headline. Trump's radar is constantly and only on the lookout for praise and insults of himself. That's all he cares about.
1
@Max Deitenbeck
Find some folks brave enough to throw eggs;
how could any legal action stand up against people just throwing eggs? Old-fashioned way to say "nuts!"
2
Hey Don. Keep digging
7
To the good people of El Paso and Dayton: I know you’re grieving the loss of lives and my heart breaks for you. Here is your opportunity to show this uncaring, unfeeling “president” that his racist rhetoric is in great part responsible for the many lives lost.
23
@Duncan
Her's another NON-VIOLENT protest: Ask folks lining streets to TURN THEIR BACKS on his motorcade.
Or. howzabout billboards focussing on the 1/2 million he owes El Paso? He is famous deadbeat. Make sure cameras see these billboards.
1
Trump going to El Paso is like the driver of the getaway car returning to the scene of the murder. It's perverted and only more evidence of how disturbed Donald Trump is. What makes all of this that much more disturbing is that Trump took a non-issue, illegal immigration and even legal immigration (of Hispanic people) and turned it into a fake crisis, and by doing so has created a real crisis, actually multiple crises. This is why happens when an electorate has been dumbed down to dangerous levels and starts voting for demagogues, hate, US v. Them, and a con man. Let's also not forget that the people Trump has used here to create a fake crisis in order to stoke his base's racism, fear, and need for scapegoats just to enrich himself, has throughout his adult life hired illegal immigrants to do his dirty work in order to save a buck, and even often not paying them even their slave wages. Trump is a cancer. His base is the mechanism by which is metastasizes.
26
@David DeFazio....
1. Beto & the rest of know why the killer killed. He left behind what Drumpf calls a “screed”.
2. Calling immigrants rapist, drug dealers & thugs. And telling them to “go back where they came from”, yeah, that’s racist.
3. Next.....
7
trump cannot heal this nation. His tweet about Beto O’Rourke is a flashing red light showing who trump is. I hope someone convinces him to stay away from El Paso and pay his bill to El Paso. trump is a swamp creature who appoints more swamp creatures to keep his swamp wide and deep. trump’s words have hurt so many of us, we often mute our TVs when he speaks or turn off the TV altogether. To me, trump encourages racists and white nationals to openly express themselves, and sadly in El Paso murder was the result. Our lack of strong gun laws also abets these massacres. Remove trump and Stop using the Second Amendment as an excuse to massacre our loved ones while they are simply living their precious, irreplaceable lives.
13
So over NY Times 'equal coverage'. " .... Mixed Feelings...."???? seriously?? Come on, call it what it is. Trump is being forced to go by God knows who at this point (Sean Hannity? Tucker Carlson?), and we know for a fact that there are no mixed feelings about his welcome in El Paso.
17
Pathetic comments by anti-Trumpers. Didn't see this during Obama era when there were more mass shootings.
5
@MCH Your "fact" is wrong, likely taken from right-wing sources. There were 4.1 shootings per year under Obama, and so far 11.5 per year under Trump's presidency.
3
@MCH
Mass shootings during Obama's tenure as POTUS:
32 (THIRTY TWO)
Mass shootings during bone spurs tenure as POTUS:
251 (TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY ONE)
1
Apparently, our Racial Arsonist in Chief cannot resist the urge to return to the scene of his crime.
Our nation would be better served if he’d keep both sides of his mouth shut and go play golf.
16
He calls for morality, dignity and love but tells lies and twarts justice by his actions in the white house while through his twittering and rallies he spews degradation and hate.
11
Takes a lot of chutzpah to visit, and expect to be welcomed, to a place you've decried as a home for criminals and rapists.
12
Trump needs to go home to Mar-A-Lago and play with his golf toys.
No one wants to see the Hater-In-Chief.
28
"Trump to Visit Dayton and El Paso"
What about Toledo????
10
That's what happened last night after we left, dining at Hudson Yards...
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/07/nyregion/times-square-panic.html
Terrifying panic!!!
2
Your title is not objective. It conveys an opinion, not news. Would it be too much to ask you to separate opinion and news and attempt to provide at least a small dose of objectivity when you are in the realm of news. I guess it is !
2
I anticipate that Trump will let his freak flag fly. Either he’ll step all over everything, like a crass bull in a china shop. Or he’ll come medicated, muted & remote... exactly how he read the ‘prompter the other day. He’s just not presidential material. He’s failed so many, so many times before. Today will be no different.
12
Send him back! Just send him backi!
7
@Barry Lane
New York does not want him or his family of grifters.
1
Time to visit the real American carnage. That you caused.
6
Deadbeat Donald reportedly owes El Paso more than $569,000 for city services provided for his campaign visit last year. O’Rourke, who had a ally of his own, of course paid his bill. Now, the racist president can increase his debt while he also insults the residents by pretending to care.
9
@Barry Winograd
Doesn't pay his debts, bills or contractors. Is anyone surprised?
There are only two things Trump can say that would give credibility to these visits. First, that he as both a man and as president of the United States is deeply saddened by the tragic loss of and injury to life, including unimaginable grief of those who now suffer in mourning, as the result of the gun violence that recently occurred. And second, that he realizes now how carelessness and provocative commentary on his part may likely have contributed to this tragedy, and for that he is profoundly sorry and begs forgiveness and prayer for help in amendment of ways in conducting his office. It’s not that complicated.
7
Read my lips: It's a campaign stop. Hypocrite.
77
Mixed feelings? Embarrassment, nausea and revulsion?
40
Well, Trump's up and tweeting already. Business as usual. NRA contributions, calls to Putin, malign large groups of people. Then stuff your face.
52
@Larry
there are 11 million undocumented immigrants. I guess it does not bother you to DOUBLE the number, does it.
Unable to look up facts? Unable to digest the truth?
Just make up any number?
5
@Kristine And a few snorts of Adderall during the commercial breaks.
1
Will Trump pump his fists in the air when he lands, the way he disgraced last year's 9-11 ceremony? Or will he simply wait a lordly fifteen minutes before haranguing the world with his endless litany of slights, slurs, and complaints? Will we get a combination of "build the wall", and "Crooked Hillary" and "very fine people"? Or will he simply go straight for victim blaming?
Trump offers nothing of decency to any situation, let alone these where his inflammatory, racist language inspired at least one of the two killers. He is not only a disgrace to our nation, but to the entirety of humanity.
39
“Respect the office of the presidency” is the new way that Republican politicians can justify their continued and undying support for the racist in chief. I hope El Paso greets him accordingly.
30
@Josue Azul Yep. I figure that when Trump begins to respect (or even comprehend) the office of the presidency--both its powers and its limitations--then maybe I'll do the same. But he has to do it first.
Respect, like loyalty, is a two way street. Right now, he's the Republican in Chief, leading a minority government.
1
Would everyone in the media just go back to bed and let Trump
spend the day alone in his own ignorance.
9
How dare he?
13
During this awful past weekend, when so much sorrow and pain was occurring, this instigator could not be troubled to leave the golf course. He will not dare face the crowds of protesters in Ohio or Texas. What an indifferent coward.
27
Time to dig out the I Really Don’t Care, Do U? jacket, Melania.
64
He is just stirring the racist stew that he himself has brought to a simmer.
It's Trump being Trump.
Nothing new.
13
The man who supplied the gasoline thrown on the fire visits the smoldering damage after the fire and says, I wonder why this happened here? Impeach!
24
@Joe Smally
Accountability is certainly not one of his strengths. But then credibility is also a serious problem.
1
Maybe the white supremacist should visit some Mexican War sites instead to celebrate our first imperialist actions instead of bothering the grieving citizens of El Paso.
9
Someone needs to make sure he flies to the right city! #HolyToledo
26
It's terrible irony that the safe city of El Paso now sounds as dangerous as Trump's earlier insults - because of a white nationalist gunman spewing Trump's racist, violent rhetoric.
25
George W. Bush must be the happiest ex-President alive. No longer will he be regarded as the worst ever.
30
Well, it depends who you ask. Some would say that Obama must be pretty happy, too.
Dayton and El Paso, enjoy the paper towels Trump will toss you. Gilroy...you don't even get a paper towel since you are in a Blue state.
28
Trump is a fraud. He shouldn’t be president. He shouldn’t be anything. He doesn’t even know what thoughts and prayers are. He knows nothing of love and loss. And there is nothing more reprehensible than phony condolences. Spare us, Donald.
33
Yeah. Make sure he stops in Toledo, too.
18
Which jacket is Melania wearing; the one that says she doesn’t care, or the one made of puppy fur?
28
@Austin Ouellette
Wearing the "I don't care" jacket would be the only honest statement they could make on this trip.
4
Trump visiting El Paso is like an arsonist visiting the scene of his crime to admire his work.
19
Trump has no shame. But then, you would have to have a heart to feel anything after your words have been echoed by a murderer/white supremacist. Really, it is just a photo op for him.
14
Trump caused the killings and it is what Vladimir wanted.
11
What the instigator in chief is not invited to see the fruits of his labor?
1
It's horrible that Trump would subject the survivors of these shootings to his bottomless well of neediness. Insisting that even in the aftermath of these horrible events he deserves center stage is incredibly disrespectful. Trump has nothing to offer the people who have just experienced this devastating tragedy. We've all heard his ridiculous and false claim to have responded to the World Trade Center bombings. This is just another attempt to put himself in the spotlight. Trump is shameless in his self-promotion. Disgusting.
28
Whoever called the shots on this in the White House is woefully ignorant. It is a huge mistake to have trump show up in El Paso. If Trump himself call this shot then it proves his ignorance. Let the people heal and stay away
9
Maybe Trump will show up in Toledo this morning?
7
Is a narcissist like Trump even capable of comforting others?
11
And donald trump has a phony name denoting a human!
2
It's as if it were the 1960s and Bull Connor went to an NAACP convention.
3
What an excellent opportunity for the narcissist-in-chief to speak about himself in some ridiculous self-aggrandizing way!
11
Trump should go and feel their anger and pain...he should be drowned out by that, his big mouth silenced. He should stand behind armed guards and bullet proof protection for the whole campaign stop,
2
"The president stands accused of embracing hateful rhetoric"
STANDS ACCUSED??? REALLY?? READ what he says! Listen to what he preaches at those rallies. Look at him smiling when someone yells to shoot them!
Good GOD, can you start reporting in REAL terms? Being namby-pamby is what got this guy elected.
28
Pres. Trump represents all the people, not just Donald J. Trump. Grow up!
2
@batazoid In theory, yes.
In theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice, they're not.
1
Perhaps El Paso should also consider displaying the Trump Baby float, but with a flourish--they can strip it of its diaper and stick it in a cage, with a sign saying that they "Have a special place reserved just for him".
7
Will he be distributing paper towels ? Will Melania wear a ridiculously inappropriate "fashion statement" ? Will he ask relatives of the Dead
" where are they now "?
It's called dementia, folks. His "mind" is gone. He's operating purely on instinct, habit and spite. Admit it.
14
Trump should stay away. Many of us here blame him for encouraging all of this violence going on. He has his supporters here. As he said, he could shoot someone himself in cold blood and they would still support him. The rest of us in Ohio really don't support him, don't want him as our president, and never will.
17
The only death Trump is ever going to be emotionally connected to will be his own. The end of life for others holds no meaning for him. That he is absurdly incapable of.
8
He's not going to Toledo?
15
I know other people will think that Beto O'Rourke is out of line saying that Trump inspired terrorism. How dare someone remove even the slightest bit of the guilt from the mass murderer/terrorist. Is anyone saying that Obama inspired all the terrorism in the world today? If O'Rourke is right then so are those saying Obama inspired all of today's terrorism.
3
The most noxious administration since Nixon.
6
The Nashville neighbors are great Americans!
Trump is not.
1
He didn't care that the Jewish community didn't want trump or his family in Pittsburgh, why should he care about the Hispanic culture in El Paso not wanting him to visit. I hope he at least writes El Paso a check for his last visit.
8
If Trump had a SHRED of empathy in him, he would go to some of the funerals of the victims. But he won't.
Remember when Obama, or was it Biden, attended the funerals of the WV miners who died in a mine accident?
3
"MIXED FEELINGS"? = "There are good people on both sides"
6
"The abuse of greatness is when it disjoins remorse from power”.
1
Your headline states “mixed feelings for residents” who support Trump’s visits but you do not name or quote a single citizen with mixed feelings, only elected officials (and mostly Republicans) who reluctantly support the visits. More accurately the headline should state that “elected partisan officials support Trump’s visits”. This would hold the elected officials responsible for their support of our racist president instead of passing it off to “residents”. I doubt you could find anyone anywhere with “mixed feelings” about this president, either you support him or you don’t, and most do not. This is an example of your mis-leading approach in the coverage of this president which in this case creates a mirage of support for his gross behavior. It does great damage online because casual readers only read the headline which gets picked up by many news services and gives the impression that he has more support than he does. :(
6
Why do I almost expect to see him throwing boxes of tissues to the crowds of mourners and then expecting a pat on the back for doing something about their tears?
What a frustrating and sad state of affairs to heap atop tragedy.
10
@PB
Like Puerto Rico —- when he had fun throwing rolls of paper towels at the “little people” (as Leona Helmsley used to say about the suckers who actually paid taxes).
1
I strongly doubt that trump's visits will include any exposure to the public at large. In order to avoid the optics of crowds of people protesting his presence, he will meet with those he intends to visit privately, as he has done in the past.
3
As much as I am repulsed by the current president, I question the larger pattern of executive visits to places that have suffered natural or man made disasters. Do they do any good at all, or do they distract local officials and public safety professionals who are trying to help their cities? Do these visits actually cost the local government even more money in security and traffic management? The Presidential visit is part of the response "package": 24-hour coverage, candlelight vigils, and...a hurried, awkward visit from POTUS. I feel El Paso and Dayton would prefer that the folks in Washington leave them alone and focus instead on sane gun safety legislation.
63
@Mel427
When Obama visited disaster sites his warmth and sincere involvement helped a lot. It is totally the opposite with Trump's camera-hogging narcissistic photo ops. He is only going because his staff told him he has to - but what they fail to realize is that HE makes matters much worse, just as you say.
Who throws paper towels out to PR disaster victims with a big smile on his face and thinks that is a good thing? The idiot-in-chief! Who abandons a solemn visit to honor our fallen soldiers because it's raining? You guessed it!
9
@Mel427- in the case of trump it is a distraction, it’s a wonder he is not taking his top advisors, Ken and Barbie.
2
@Mel427
I've often thought the very same thing, Bush was lambasted for not setting foot in Louisiana after Katrina, it would have been a logistical nightmare security wise and he would have gotten in the way of First Responders. In Bone Spurs case it's just another way to inject himself into our daily lives yet again. He just can't help himself. I think whoever shows up for his photo op should collectively turn their backs on the man in silent protest. More powerful than any rally.
3
When someone does the right thing for the wrong reasons, ihe still remains has done the right thing. President Trump would, indeed, be doing the right thing to visit El Paso and Dayton, even if his only motive is to score political points. Going through the motions of care and concern is better than not because it dignifies the idea that such things are important, even if the sentiment behind those motions is not sincere.
I do wish that readers of the New York Times would stop believing that they can read the mind of Donald Trump, or the minds of his supporters, and attributing their words and actions to uniformly bigoted intentions. Sometimes they are, and sometimes they are not. Sometimes, the difference is between policies, preferred in good faith by both sides to a disagreement.
I am no fan of Trump, but I am humble enough to understand that I cannot read his mind. I can only listen to what he says, and what he does, much of each of which appalls me. I agree with those who believe that Trump's behavior in office has inflamed the divisions in our body politic. Still, I cannot know what he was actually feeling when he read from the teleprompter, and neither can anyone else. I cannot know what he will feel if and as he speaks to the surviving victims of this latest tragedy.
Trump in El Paso and Dayton will be a bit like a funeral where you know the ugly back story between the mourner and the deceased, but you don't tell him not to come. That is the ultimate disrespect.
10
@D I Shaw
That depends on what he says. If it's another speech like the one on Monday where he basically trivializes the disasters (as he's done with every other disaster during his term), then he's better off staying out of the way. But that's not his style. He won't be able to help himself; he'll try to promote himself as though if we all just agreed with him, none of this would have happened.
17
@D I Shaw
No one claims to read his mind. We just listen to his words.
13
@D I Shaw
If he even possibly cared so much. why did he spend all day Sunday playing golf????
3
Trump opponents call constantly for peace & unity and to treat each other with kindness. Except when they’re dealing with Trump.
5
@Once From Rome
Don't you see lack of logic here?
4
Because he is the arsonist who is setting the fire.
@Once From Rome He cast the first stone from the time of his election...blaming the US as failed, then the electorate especially people such as myself who want a man who has some dignity. The peace I want is based on a dignity that this man will never have. And since he has none and behaves in kind, I am not required to respect him. Or to show him reticence. Tell me one person in his staff who he has any respect for...when they are not useful he treats them like dirt, just like the average American.
Except for reviving more fears and adding insult to injuries Trump's visits to the grief stricken cities of El Paso and Dayton will hardly be consoling benign presence if the past experience is any guide.
12
@Prof. Jai Prakash Sharma-Both mayors of these cities should have told trump that they are too busy burying their dead to be part of his ridiculous insincere visit.
2
“Respecting the office” of the president has always been the norm and should continue to be. That this president views that “ norm” in his own unique way, one that millions disagree with and even abhor, should make no difference.
Scoring political points over mass shootings and other tragedies is something politicians have always done. We citizens have the right to protest, however, including civil disobedience, if we don’t like what’s going on.
That’s how this citizen sees it, anyway.
6
@Ellen
The fact that anything has "always" been done by politicians doesn't make it right, and THIS compounds it. "Always" is a very dangerous term which, for some diseased minds, can give credence to any evil.
Trump is an abomination and, if anything, an anti-president. He has caused enough suffering there already and just adds insult to injury.
3
He does not have a choice. He HAS to go and otherwise he will be accused of not caring.
On the other hand it is also inevitable that Democrats will oppose his visit and criticize him.
7
@Ludwig-you actually think he cares?
When was the last time you turned off Faux no news, better known as trump TV?
4
@Ludwig He doesn't care, why worry about an accusation?
@Ludwig the local communities that he has antagonized and incited violence against are the ones who don’t want him there
1
To me it seems nothing good can come out of visiting El Paso right now while the potential for this to go very badly seems likely. This is another example of lack of self-awareness on Trump's part.
13
I love how people say “you must respect the office” when its occupant makes a mockery of the office. Sorry, but no, Trump gets no inherent respect because he holds the office. He hasn’t been a President for all the people once in his time in office. I suspect that the respect for the office, and its holder, will take a long time to get back, if ever.
46
The biggest problem with Trump's visit to these cities is that he won't make it about the victims and families, he will make it about himself.
This man promotes the atmosphere that caused this carnage and is the biggest danger to this country.
26
@BTO that and the victims and their families don’t want him there. Get lost, Trump
1
And of course many would-be protesters will be too afraid to turn out, even if legal citizens, fearing ICE and its over zealous staff.
7
@Minty Utter garbage, Minty. Fearing ICE and its "over zealous" staff? If an illegal migrant has a removal order, by law they should follow it and remove themselves. By law, if they do not, they will be removed. Keep your opinions in Australia. You have no idea what you are talking about.
1
I live in the greater El Paso area, a community of wonderful, peace loving, and accepting people. Last weekend we were visited by the darkest evil that anyone could have imagined and we lost 22 innocent lives. There is no sense to be made of this, but one thing is crystal clear: Donald Trump shares responsibility for this massacre.
Since the time I heard that he was coming to our town, I have felt nothing but sadness and anger. At times I want to cry and at other times I want to yell. And the anger only grows with the passage of time.
I don't want to feel this way. I don't need more salt poured on my wounds. Trump has no place here. He is NOT welcome.
61
Excruciating that my tax money pays for security detail to protect T. and his family from violence, including gun violence, while they spew insensitive and/or inflammatory remarks about gun violence.
Meanwhile, there was real suffering, anxiety and fear that even prior to his arrival.
The cruelty and privilege exhibited by this administration gets worse each day.
39
@M Yin our tax money also pays for his golf trips.
6
He will surround himself with police and first responders to congratulate them on a “tremendous “ job, and use a clip from that in a campaign commercial.
He has no sympathy or empathy, the toxic one cannot express these feelings unless it is on a teleprompter, and even with that he cannot convince anyone.
27
By insisting on visiting El Paso and Dayton, Trump acts like a tribune, going to view his ravaged and conquered lands after a war. El Paso residents clearly see Trump's words as official provocation to violence and murder. Dayton also finds his visit deeply inappropriate.
Putin must be advising him not to back down, to assert his dominance to show who's in charge.
13
What’s Trump going to do in El Paso and Dayton? Throw boxes of kleenex at the crowd? I see absolutely no purpose in either of these visits, except to pour more salt into already gaping wounds. I hope the good people of both locales turn their backs on him while he recites his canned remarks. That’s exactly what he deserves.
32
@A Bird In The Hand
I could not agree with you more wholeheartedly, A Bird In The Hand! I couldn't have said that better myself! Bravo!!
Under the best of circumstances, Trump is awful at this. He has no emotional voice and no ear with which to take in people's pain. From past experiences, his two options are a stilted formal script or, an awkward--probably offensive--unscripted verbal safari that will dredge up HIS personal grievances---a la "I had nothing to do with this..."
His going reeks of politics. The one thing neither Dayton or El Paso need is politics. They are going to ask him for things he has no intention of granting. He is going to say "No" while trying, in his uniquely hamfisted way, to appear not to be saying "No." "We'll be looking into that..." But, of course, we won't be looking into that.
8
Fear of being targeted by haters of latino people. Isn't that exactly what Trump really wants? Fear to immigrate to this country being the end result. No matter what Trump may say this feeds into his invasion rhetoric. Taking children away from their parents, detention cells that mimic prison camps, this all follows Trumps attempt to limit the flow of refugees into this country and there are Republican Senators and Congressmen that support Trump's actions.
Going to El Paso and Dayton is a slap in the face to these people. He really doesn't care. Trump and the GOP Senate need to be defeated in 2020 before there will be any substantive change in this country.
44
Every person that cares should stand up when Trump speaks and turn their back to him . He is the cause for what ails is not the cure.
80
@Donald
Yes!
1
Why is the President not welcome? The shooter in Dayton was a supporter of Sen. Warren. Does that make her responsible. Of course not. We've got to end this division. The democrats are acting as cowards. They should be standing next to the President in this time of sadness.
8
@Julia Ew. Just ew. Not My President.
1
Warren didnt spew hate to drive the killer on.
2
@Julia He's not welcome because the blood is on his hands. The division starts to end, if and when he stops his incitement.
There is no bizarro quid pro quo.
1
His next rally geared for 2020 will be a test of his sincerity on race issues. Will he suppress racist chants? Will he speak at length on the necessity of getting along with one another? Will he soften his aggressive tone and style? I think we all know the answer, the only question is when will he start ramping up the rhetoric again.
25
@Snip You Dems migh to better if you left the racist accusations behind. Trump is a reactive moron. He will say the opposite of what you want him to say. Push him, and he'll just me more obnoxious.
@Snip
Rhetoric, this afternoon, he has nothing else to say. Cant put together a sentence and he has no policies so what can he say. A complete fool on the world stage
2
According to the Texas Tribune, Trump still owes El Paso over 1/2 mil in fees from his last rally. Now he is threatening with another visit this afternoon which adds to the burden on El Paso. And it is all for a Photo-Op. He has no interest in the people of El Paso unless it relates directly to him and/or their crowd rally potential...
No only he is incapable to offer comfort to those in mourning, he will add a burden to a city resources which can be better utilized at the moment.
He should NO go to El Paso unless he plans to apologize to El Paso and to the nation for his inflammatory rhetoric for the las 4 years ( and pay his rally fees) . Otherwise shame on him!!!!!
55
I don’t understand how you separate the person from the office in this case. Donald Trump, more than any other president, was elected to that office precisely because of the person he is; you cannot “respect” the office of the President and at the same time disengage from the person who holds it when that person brings such disrespect himself to it. His tweet to Beto O’Rourke is a master class in evil. He beats up a man because of his name, while two cities are suffering the greatest of tragedies, then boasts about crowd size yet again for the umpteenth time (which, by the way, was another lie) while two cities are suffering the greatest of tragedies, and then finishes up with a “Shut up!”, while two cities are suffering the greatest of tragedies. And El Paso and Dayton are supposed to separate the man from the office? We all know he will make it all about him, or castigate Democrats for “open borders”, or blame the victims, perhaps even claiming he himself is a victim. I long for the days when we had a true leader who could wrap his arms around those who had suffered a tragedy and cry with them.
57
To let us know we are All Americans and there are good people on both sides.
Used to be hunters learned how to shoot, now they need double drum clips?
5
Isn't Trump's visiting Dayton and El Paso further evidence of how FBI profilers believe criminals always seem to return to the scene of their crime?
33
@merc
Well---that's ONE way to put it!
1
Tone Deaf and Self Centered.....
That sums up trump's response to these and countless other tragedies our nation has endured. The fact the shooter took his queue from trump's own words fails to penetrate his consciousness.
America DESERVES better than trump.
35
Oh come on, folks commenting below - you are adding to the strife that America is going thru.
He is a POTUS and better or worse, he is the elected representative of ALL Americans thru Jan 20, 2021.
You may not like how he expresses himself but he does have a voice like all of us have.
No one criticized Obama when he visited these places and on his watch - so to speak - Google search shows 14 plus mass shootings over 8 years.
No one faulted him then - and no one should fault this POTUS.
I suggest folks keep their anger towards him for another day.
6
@Neil
Oh come on, Neil! Obama wasn't the instigator of mass murder, Donald Trump is! His racist rhetoric (from Day 1) emboldened White Supremacists--with guns--to commit mass murder. Trump has blood on his hands!
6
@Neil
I’m sorry. Are we bothering you with our complaints about Trump’s foot on our neck?
We are so sorry. We did not meant to (excuse me while I dodge some bullets) (I’m Latina, in case you didn’t know) anyway we did not mean to offend your sense of order. We sincerely apologize.
Now. If you’ll excuse me, I will go about my day and will do my best to avoid the invigorated bigots and haters as to not disturb your sense of calm.
Carry on and enjoy your privilege.
3
@Neil
Sir, It may have to do with the fact that
Obama did not foment racial animus, as well as with the genuine empathy he exhibited during his visits. DJT is missing something as a human being - I think it may be heart - which in my book is the first qualifier for my kind of president. Thank you.
3
Trump will go to Dayton and El Paso and deliver his words with a hollow and robotic voice.
Nothing he says will change what happened nor bring comfort and healing.
Soon he will hold another of his rallies where he will shout vile tropes and scream about his enemies. He will make sure that he’s the victim and forget totally about the real victims who died or were injured in hate filled massacres fueled by his words and fury.
43
The hysteria of people who can’t have what they want. Trump is not to blame.
How are people raising their kids? Locked away on bedrooms playing video games where they hunt people down and shoot them while they are teens... instead of being taught by their parents... to talk through their problems.
Stop blaming Trump and look in the mirror. Trump has already done more than Obama did in 8 years to prevent these tragedies. Blame Trump if you don’t like the laws our democracy has.
7
@Kimbo Last time I checked, video game controllers have killed ZERO Americans. Bullets, on the other hand.......
4
I sincerely would like to know what trump did to prevent these tragedies. I do know he reversed Obama’s ban on assault weapons.
1
Trump has already done more than Obama to prevent these tragedies? WHAT?
1
Of course Trump is going to El Paso and to Dayton-These cities are in states he won in 2016-He can get all the State Republican officials to stand with him.He didn’t even consider going to Gilroy, California-no one would welcome him there.This is a kind of campaign rally-he wants to be on TV seeming to be relevant so his supporters will believe in him.Perhaps if all the citizens in these two cities who object to Trump’s visit just turned out and stood silently with bowed heads he would get the message that there is grief -he cannot stand silence!
155
Who else remembers when Richard Speck killed eight Chicago nurses in July 1966? Above-the-fold front page news for WEEKS, the nation and the world were horrified. As a small girl growing up in Chicago news of the crime gave me nightmares.
But these mass shootings in the US, where I no longer live, are so common I just shake my head and turn to another story -- because nothing will change while the Republicans are beholden to the NRA and to those who equate owning semi-automatic machine guns, increasingly used to mow down children, with the right to bear muskets.
130
Amazingly, two words (do something) might have spurned our Governor to do something, maybe. He has endorsed red flag laws— not much, but for a Republican, major steps. Now, I wonder, if he will still endorse the State Legislature’s proposal to allow NON-licensed civilians to carry guns openly. And oh, by-the-way, where has the “other’ Ohio Senator been throughout this ordeal? You know him, I think his name is Portman, but who cares... he certainly does not.
49
Portman is missing in most crucial events in this state. I write him anyway and get meaningless political palaver back. I would hate to lose Sherrod Brown from the Senate but I wish he’d get back in the Presidential race; he does know the difference between Dayton, Ohio and Michigan!
3
We do not need another political rally paid for by our taxes.
201
Donald Trump is President and should go to both Dayton and El Paso . He should also visit Chicago where multiple people were shot over the weekend as well.
He should also use this as an opportunity to announce some kind of reform. There seems to be bipartisan support for red flag laws.’c so why not support that.
3
He cannot announce reform because there isn’t any and there never will be as long as the Republicans are beholden to the NRA.
9
If these events occurred in my hometown, I would let Trump know in clear terms that he is not welcome. It is insulting. He is like a cruel dog owner. The dog still tries to to show that he cares even though he has been assaulted over and over. Eventually the dog turns on the master. That is where this country is now. Enough.
191
I hope the people in both cities express their displeasure clearly and loudly. if they do, I also imagine he is capable of returning to DC and reporting that they all cheered him approvingly.
9
@BCY123
Excellent analogy.
Donald Trump has deliberately encouraged violence throughout his candidacy and presidency, against his political opponents, against immigrants, against journalists.
Decent people should hold him responsible for pushing the button behind at least one massacre, in El Paso; possibly the massacre in Dayton, and at least one failed plot by a supporter who planned to terrorize political opponents with package bombs. The Republican leadership has remained silent and has enabled him. Many members of Congress, including New York's Elise Stefanic, have been his apologists. It is stunning that his behavior has been tolerated.
I fear that there will be another massacre, directed against journalists.
Trump's tactics are those of a rising dictator. His presidency will be remembered as one of our country's most shameful periods. I hope that the American people reject him, and all that he stands for, with a resounding defeat in 2020.
264
@DLM
Um, did YOU miss Kathy Griffin holding something obscene up how long ago? Didn't see that? The disgusting treatment of Trump Admin Officials in Restaurants? Miss that too? Google them if you somehow didn't know those things happened.
3
@DLM "Trump's tactics are those of a rising dictator." But in reality a single federal judge can block a presidential order. That does not look like dictatorship to me which I believe exists mainly in the imagination of far too many Democrats.
Trump is a mixture of good and bad. THAT is the reality.
@GregP I am well aware of the public shaming of Trump administration officials. Protesters who do this in the confines of a privately owned business can be asked to leave, or can be escorted out by police if they refuse. I don't judge this behavior; it is the right of American people to protest peacefully.
And the public humiliation that an administration official may suffer seems a reasonable exchange for the suffering of children who had no control over being brought to this country as undocumented immigrants. By the way, it has historically been the right of immigrants to seek asylum, and many of those people have been treated like criminals in the custody of U.S. officials.
Donald Trump has encouraged violence and lawlessness; he has issued coded threats against political opponents, and has all but declared open season on journalists. I stand by my statement, and my disgust at his conduct.
3
What's most disturbing is the idea some people present here that just having the title "president" is enough to garner respect. That's been the problem since day one... people grappling with respecting the office of a man who oozes disrespect.
Those are the same people who say "support the troops" to any criticism of War... and "support the badge" to any criticism of police.
The fact is: you can't solve a problem if you won't acknowledge it. And Trump's rhetoric is a problem. Giving him blind-blanket respect ignores his rhetoric and we become a country of do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do... that's disingenuous and every psyche aware of his existence is aware of the contradiction, regardless of how much weight they put into his words.
138
@J
I continue to respect the office of the presidency.
I have no respect for the man who currently holds that office. Respect must be earned.
I have never felt this way before about any American president, regardless of party.
9
Respect is earned. And after it is lost doubly hard to earn back. Republicans aren’t asking for respect they are telling us to bow our heads, live in fear and defer to them as authority.
They deserve zero respect.
3
Of course Dayton and El Paso should be skeptical about the President’s visit. Exactly what kind of comfort could he possibly provide to these communities that have lost so much at the hands of another man with a weapon of mass destruction? The Columbine High School massacre in 1999 and the many massacres that followed were not shocking enough for Republicans to pass sensible gun legislation. When they say they are prepared to combat gun violence, they are blowing smoke in the face of all Americans. Mitch McConnell and his GOP have watched over 20 years of Americans being slaughtered and have done nothing. This only proves they can live with the status quo. Can we?
152
@Bob Bascelli
How about Trump whining that Bush didn't chastise Obama after Sandy Hook?
Trump is SO obtuse he can not figure out that Obama never urged people from the Presidential office to reject others based on race or religion EVER?
Obama deported a LOT of illegals. But he did it in a quiet fashion. Obama didn't have to blow his own horn and say "look at me!" every ten seconds.
Trump is a tool.
10
Who was it who said, ‘you get the government you deserve’?
While I am all for holding Trump accountable for all the hate and racist policies he puts forth, all Americans must also reflect on the social and political norms that have been around for a long, long time. Norms and ways of everyday civil life that have gone unchecked for too long.
If people want to change the status quo, vote Trump out. Vote the GOP out. And ban all guns by changing the constitution. No other country is as in love with guns as the USA is, and to no surprise, no other country has so many senseless gun murders.
The power is our hands, if we really want to change things.
114
Both mayors should take the opportunity to meet with the president and let him know what they think about immigration in general and Trump's pronouncements in particular. While Margo, mayor of El Paso is a Republican, he apparently does not agree with Trump on immigration issues or the danger from South of the Border. But he might be somewhat circumspect. Mayor Whaley of Dayton is a Democrat, and less likely to be circumspect.
The people of each city who choose to come to Trump's speeches should consider turning their backs to him when he speaks, just as he has turned his back to them regarding immigration and, even more important in this context, gun control.
61
@Terry Plasse Mayor Whaley appears to be anything but circumspect. I hope she gives him an earful.
19
Trump's visit to Dayton and el Paso gives new meaning to the old term "adds insult to injury."
233
@Cristino Xirau It is pure sadism. He knows he will cause more grief and pain by doing so, which is why he is insisting on it. He makes me sick.
3
The person should not be there but the position he holds should. Unfortunately you cannot separate the two.
26
@DC
PINO, president in name only.
3
@DC: He could send Pence or Melania to represent him. Anybody but him...
@DC
I manage to separate the two all day, every day.
1
I hope they welcome him with giant banners of his own tweets, written in dripping red paint.
335
@ Lee M - we need a group like England’s Led by Donkeys here. They could project his tweets or better yet the images of those who lost their lives onto the side of the Capital or the White House. ( Google
their Buckingham Palace image for Boris Johnson’s meeting with the Queen).
For the sake of these suffering communities, I hope Mr. Trump behaves and tries to act appropriately. Same for the press. If he does do his usual routine, I hope Mrs. Trump is nearby to swat him.
In the meantime, contact your members of Congress and Governor - we need better gun safety/ control regulations now.
2
@Lee M Um, grim. I was hoping for crowds chanting "Do Something."
6
I sent this yesterday to the mayor's office in EP:
Dear Mr. Mayor, although not an El Paso resident, I grew up in EP minutes away from Cielo Vista mall and have many family members nearby or working there. May I suggest a different response to tomorrow's planned visit?
"In normal times the mayor of EP would officially receive the President of the US. But these are not normal times. We have an occupant of that office who does not choose to lead all the people, but only a minority. He deliberately and repeatedly pits his followers against communities such as ours, for his conscious political gain. That strategy bore evil fruit on Sat. It is morally incumbent upon us to not collude with him. He may of course come to EP if he chooses, but we do not welcome or sanction his presence here, and will not give his visit official recognition. In fact, we ask him to for once do the decent thing and stay away as we mourn and seek to heal. In the famous words said to another once, "at last sir, do you have no decency?"
Thank you for your consideration.
198
@CS
Wonderful response.
5
@CS, I applaud your civility. It is unfortunate that it seems so rare these days.
4
@CS Thank you for your correspondence.
2
Trump's staff will have to work harder to find supporting cast, and keep those who aren't out of the frame, for this photo-op.
30
You like others will be surprised at how many of his supporters are there. Illegal immigration AKA trespassing) is something that the vast majority of Americans do not want. Papers and media sources repeat the narrative they want to happen.
2
"Trump to Visit Dayton and El Paso, Creating Mixed Feelings for Residents"
So sad that a headline like this is printed in our country. I can think of no other Administration where a President was not welcomed during tragic events that have taken place a few days ago.
Our Country is suffering immeasurably because of this President's hate filled rhetoric. He is a stain on the United States, and it will take years to remove.
533
@cherrylog754
Nero fiddled while Rome burned, a fire he had started.
Trump - a self-declared nationalist - plays golf after a massacre of a white supremacist's massacre in ElPaso, while having laughed when someone at his rally in Panama City not long ago yelled "shoot them", when he again blamed all that ailed this nation on the Invasion of "the Others".
The fire of hatred enabled by the man in the Oval Office will be hard to erase.
31
@cherrylog754: You watch, Trump will turn these horrible massacres into a pro-Trump political event where he blames non-whites, women, gays and democrats.
@Sarah that video is a disgrace and trump and I thought he couldn't getting any lower and yet he has.
Perhaps, the Mayors of Dayton El Paso and any other city where mass murders occur should greet the president with montages of the innocent victims of gun violence, so the President has a clear picture of the toll that being an NRA puppet has had on our nation. No photo op will mitigate his outsized participation in “American Carnage”.
89
@Leslie
So what I hear you saying is that you condone the macabre approaches to shock taken by folks who are Pro-Life.
Perhaps we should roll nightly footage of each human being who dies unjustly and reflect on human suffering and failing.
It is a big list when you pull the lens back, but what will come of it?
6
It would be useless as Trump's conduct and words have demonstrated time and time again he doesn't feel empathy. The completely devoid of emotion way he read those statements about the shootings yesterday told us he is a damaged and hollow human being.
5
@Leslie
Alas, this is not likely to have any effect on a brain that does not process empathy in the same manner as most human beings.
1
The mayors of both Dayton and El Paso say the president is welcome because he is our president. The senior rabbi at the Tree of Life in Pittsburgh because the president deserves respect. In order to get respect you have to give it. This president does not know the meaning of that word. Anyone who says that there were some good people at a white nationalist rally will never get my respect
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@steven schneck I was always taught you do not have to respect the person but you do respect the position they hold. That was in relation to the workplace but I believe it holds true in this situation as well.
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@DC
Trump disgraces the "position" he holds (thanks to the Electoral College) and deserves no respect whatsoever! He should receive no "official" recognition of any kind. In fact, it should be made absolutely clear that his presence is not welcome. The mayor and other officials should be publicly "unavailable" for any possible contact with this creep.
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@steven schneck
He also needs to pay El Paso for his MAGA rally there in February. I hope to see some "Do Something" chants today..
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The WH needs the designated hitter rule. In times like this the role of president calls for empathy and the ability to speak from the heart. Sorry, not in Trump's repertoire. He's going for the photo-op during a campaign optics. Maybe he can send Obama....left handed and can hit a home run with empathy, speaking skills and sincerity.
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I have a macabre glimmer of hope that the horrible shootings will bring forth a defeat of Trump specifically, and the minority republican regime more broadly.
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@Steveyo If anything, the greatly unwanted visit by Trump to Texas and Ohio should go a long way towards spurring a flood of Democratic voter registrations!
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Our fateful 45th president will visit El Paso and Dayton today. He will bring his teleprompted screed of "unity and healing" to two American cities scarred by his own words of hate, racism and bigotry. Mr. Trump and his Republican autocratic party have sown division among our people.
Welcoming the man who has tweeted out his own nationalistic rage at immigrants and people of color and women is a bad idea. Both cities protested his visit as too premature while they are grieving and mourning the loss of their fallen innocent citizens.
In both cases, young white male nationalists addicted to social media divisive violence and our gun culture, killed human beings. Will hope and prayers counter Trump's hateful retoric? We shall see in the very near future.
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@Concerned Citizen
Then tell me, what does “send her back” mean when applied Congresswoman Omar? She is my is the certainly a legal immigrant.
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Everyone knows this is just a PR trip.He will start the hateful rhetoric again as soon as the dust settles.If Americans keep lying to themselves nothing will change.
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@robert conger --- less than two days after the murders in El Paso, Trump is tweeting insults at El Paso's politician, Beto -- just the mean-spirited kind of tweets he's known for: making fun of his name and referring to him as weak. The bully-in-chief has learned nothing. He has barely listened, and his first tweet was a "God Bless" to the people of Toledo not Dayton (150 miles away.) He did not actually even remember where dozens of people in Ohio were shot by an NRA gun-obsessed killer.
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@Robert conger PR=Campaign 2020
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@Kim -- I agree that Trump's tactics include inciting racists to action. They vote but a handful of extremist supporters also take violent actions against minority citizens, immigrants and journalists! Trump should be prosecuted and impeached for his actions! He's using a gigantic political platform to incite violence and he knows it. But the Democrats MUST offer more than anti-Trump. We have waited for the Democratic Party for too long to get behind a $15 minimum wage, something better than NAFTA and TPP that actually protects workers in the country!
If you want to know what Trump thinks of immigrants, just read his tweets.
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Would the surviving family of a murder victim invite the killer into their home?
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WNYC aired an interview with the brother of one of the victims, a young hispanic father of a baby. He and his family Trump supporters. still. He wants to meet him to confirm his view of Trump as a "good man.
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@Red Sox, ‘04, ‘07, ‘13, ‘18
Hey Red,
I was thinking more along the lines of WHY rather than WOULD. I truly think people see and believe what they want to and need to.
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@Marge Keller: Lady of the Horses: Oy vay. And, as Rosie says above, “Trump supporters” and “good man.” Down really is up; left is right; whatever opposites there do not compute. I’m really out of here!
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"trump" will find a way to change these condolence visits into campaign rallies. It would be a miracle if he is able to stay on script and even more unlikely that the words dribbling out of his mouth will sound sincere.
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@Droid05680
He wasn't even off the south lawn of the White House before he started the campaign stuff. Sickening.
Remember, Trump needed crib notes to comfort hurricane victims in Florida. That's because bullies have difficulty showing empathy. His narrow skill set is limited to getting his supporters riled up over skin color, giving tax cuts to the wealthy, making zero progress on climate change, Iran, and North Korea, and imposing tariffs. Like the Wizard of Oz, the curtain was pulled back on this imposter a long time ago. He's not a leader. He's just a showman, and he has no capacity for bringing people together.
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It used to be that a visit from the President of the United States was a tremendous honor. No matter the reason for the visit, no matter which political party the President represented, the fact that a President would put aside his many duties to go where he was needed, was something to feel good about.
Now we have this poseur that few want to look at, much less listen to. His speech Monday wasn’t even read for meaning and it was clear he meant not a word of it. And, predictably, the “condolence” speech was followed by vicious, childish, tweets, slamming anyone who dared point out that his hateful rhetoric might be part of the reason these cities are in mourning in the first place.
We must begin impeachment inquiries. Democrats have a moral imperative to stand up against this vile, corrupt, irrational man. How long must this continue? He thinks he can do and say anything he pleases, without negative consequences. We must show Trump that he is not a king or a dictator! The entire world is watching.
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His visit would be more like inspection of the damage done after a successful attack on enemy.
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Your comment made me cry. I don’t think I’ve ever seen it said so well.
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@Tariq Abideen
You certainly win the "His visit is like .." analogy contest in these pages. And it's true. There's also a German victim of El Paso massacre and Trump detests the Germans. So much he'd rather be of Swedish ancestry (if he cannot have Norway).
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@Tariq Abideen My friend, you are a poet.....
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People in positions of power and public trust who say they respect the office of the presidency don't get it, Trump himself does not respect the office of the presidency. Hence as long as he is in office he and the office deserve no respect from anyone.
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Respect has been lost and must be earned. The office of the President has proven to be a tool for republicans to bypass congress and rule by tyranny.
No respect is due nor should we yield it.
Earn our respect!
Trump is to use these visits as appearance in free TV coverage. There are enough voters in the US who think it’s cool and would vote for him in 2020. Alas, he knows very well how to keep his base.
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Trump has probably already scouted out golf courses near these locations.
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@aeemrr This is the same man who excoriated President Obama for playing golf too often!
Trump will read from a script and say things that sound like he is trying to heal divisions and unite the country.
But this is fake and hollow.
He cannot undo the damage he has already done, unite the divisions, paper over the hatred he has spend years spouting.
That is done. He has squandered the bully pulpit. The coverage he will get from these events will further confuse everyone. Sound bites to show he is not a racist; appeasement for his base, lip service to those on whom he has poured his venom.
Instead of more hollow words, venal grandstanding and callow “thoughts and prayers”, he should repair the damage. Trump must Admit his mistakes! He must Propose meaningful measures, including gun reform with background checks and measures to curb hatred; Own his role in leading us towards violence and murder.
Otherwise, he should do us all a favor: stay away and keep his mouth shut. Let families bury their dead and all of us prepare for the next spate of mass shootings, as they will come as inevitably as the next rain storm with more Republican and Presidential platitudes and meaningless speeches to follow.
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@Concerned Citizen Its not that they blame him for Global Climate Change. They blame him for denying it and actively working against efforts to improve the health, safety, and welfare of the America people and the Planet.
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@Joseph Stern He is completely unable to shut his mouth and keep it shut. He will continue to parrot Faux News in his early-morning tweets from his seat on the gold-plated "throne" in the White House. He will continue to hold rallies at which he tells lies and smirks when audience members shout, "Kill them!" and, "Send them back!"
He will continue to blame Democrats, Hillary Clinton and people of color for the country's woes. Malignant narcissists are incapable of empathy, understanding and love for others. They care for only one person - themselves.
I’m ashamed by our country right now, to even be in the position to have to write this article.
We’re all part of this sick reality TV show starring our celebrity-in-Chief. He’s not a leader. That Tweet he sent out about Beto, really, are those presidential words? No it’s juvenile, really, at a time like this, this is what the President tweets about- or even to be writing these words “ our President tweets”.
Or regurgitating FOX news morning gang to attack our former President. Shameful.
People are mourning & i see nothing in trump’s action showing sincerity, he read from a teleprompter to express his “heartfelt” feelings about the mass murders that took place over the weekend.
and the media spins that once again like , wow , he’s so presidential.
Is this really our new normal?
Media stop making a spectacle of people’s pain. This is not normal.
honestly, feel sick.
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The media did this with Bush as well. It has to stop. They often quote Trumps talking points as headlines which yields and supports the republican lies.
Trumps history of actions should be what he is judged by. Report the truth. Those weren’t heart felt words and he didn’t even get the city right. Dog Whistles aren’t just how you say something but how you act.
His attack on Beto is yet another moment of him punching down.
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@Kate S they attack our former President because they can't defend the current President.
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@Kate S
Agree, Kate. The media is failing us in their fear of the redfaced, yelling, rightists' accusations of bias, they are actually biased against the left at this point, engaging in pretending this is any kind of president, this is any kind of normal.
Biased against Bernie. Biased against calling out the fantastic levels of corruption in all the empty offices, firings, the outrageous and ridiculous appointing of Whittiker, under investigation for petty fraud, appointment of the man whose father hired Jeffrey Epstein.
Too bad news sources try to appeal to a wide audience for profit. Feed the people and the critics what they want rather than what simply is true.
I tire of the President's attacks on minorities and his eagerness to attack individuals. A good example of this is his attack on Beto O'Rourke when he "lashed out at Mr. O’Rourke on Twitter saying he had a “phony name to indicate Hispanic heritage”.
Ted Crews' actual name is Rafael Edward Cruz. Trump does not attack Cruz for using a phony name to indicate that he is White.
I do believe that Trump, the Republican party and the NRA share some of the blame for these attacks. The killer drove 600 miles to kill Hispanics and his Manifesto parrots much of what Trump has been saying and the Republican Party and the NRA have prevented reasonable gun control.
The killings are not going to stop so long as hate is acceptable and access to semi-automatic weapons with high capacity magazines are available.
Sadly, this nation has about as many weapons as it has people. At this point, the horse is out of the barn. Even with gun control, there will be too many guns out there. The nation is going to suffer for a very long time, no matter what it does.
It could have been different, if the U.S. had implemented gun control 50 years ago.
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The fact about Mr. O’Rourke is he does have a contrived name. Trump says so. We gasp. It is impolitic. Let’s get over it.
If my parents gave me an African or Asian name, you wiuld now call it cultural appropriation, only that was not a term in wide usage 40 years ago. Beto is a Liberal darling for taking on Senator Cruz, but that is about it.
Trump is vulgar. But when you read some of the comments in these pages, you are reminded that good and evil courses through every human heart, as Solzhenitsyn astutely observed.
Our best days are when we check our own heart and refrain from pointing out others’ failings. The obsession on Trump’s mouth is getting old for all of us. The difference is that we rarely see the contempt and superciliousness swirling in people’s brains...except when reading message boards full of pseudonyms...then you get a glimpse.
See the good. Or just be the good.
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@Stuart I would gladly see the good in Mr. Trump if there was actually some good to see. So far, I have had little evidence of it....
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@Stuart
Err... O’Rourke’s name is Robert O’Rourke. You don’t see how that sounds like Roberto Rourke and how Beto is a nickname for Roberto? And how for a kid growing up in El Paso that might have been a natural progression? Nicknames happen like that (kids, huh?). Now, do you or Donnie Trump have any evidence that it’s a manufactured nikcname?
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