Democratic hopefuls in the 2020 election sharply criticized President Donald Trump over the weekend, arguing that his reluctance to denounce white nationalism and past racist rhetoric bears some responsibility on the deadly mass shooting in El Paso, Texas.
Beto O’Rourke, a former Texas congressman whose district included El Paso, argued that white nationalists have been encouraged by Trump. He cited the rise in hate crimes over the past three yearssince Trump’s election, the administration’s travel ban on people from Muslim countries and his attacks on four Democratic congresswomen of color. The suspect in Saturday’s shooting, which occurred in an area frequented by tourists from Mexico, allegedly posted a white nationalist manifesto online prior to the attack.
Trump “is a racist and he stokes racism in this country,” O’Rourke told reporters on Saturday after meeting with victims and doctors. “And it does not just offend our sensibilities, it fundamentally changes the character of this country and it leads to violence. Again, there are still details that we are waiting on, but I’m just following the lead that I’ve heard from the El Paso police department where they say there are strong indications that this shooter wrote that manifesto and this was inspired by his hatred of people here in this community.”
O’Rourke doubled down on Sunday, telling ABC News that Trump “doesn’t just tolerate, he encourages the kind of open racism.” – READ MORE