Blames shooting victims for their own deaths

[struggle4progress]

By Luke O'Neil
August 5 at 5:09 PM

... President Trump, who averred that we cannot let the victims “die in vain,” offered an idea for how to prevent future shootings: “Republicans and Democrats must come together and get strong background checks, perhaps marrying this legislation with desperately needed immigration reform. We must have something good, if not GREAT, come out of these two tragic events!”

It’s a shame about the deaths, in other words, but they never would have happened if immigrants didn’t keep trying to come here, and if Democrats would just let me stop them. “So, this atrocity,” as Nicole Hannah-Jones aptly summed up his view, “was caused by immigration.”

Having essentially blamed the victims for their own murders, the president was happily and enthusiastically acceding to what authorities think are the alleged killer’s specific demands ...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2019/08/05/trump-just-blamed-el-paso-shooting-victims-their-own-deaths/

[struggle4progress]

1. Ghosts of rhetoric past

President Trump will visit Dayton, Ohio, and El Paso, Texas, on Wednesday to "grieve with them, pray with them, offer condolences" after back-to-back mass shootings that left 22 victims dead in El Paso and nine in Dayton, White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said Tuesday. Trump also wants "to have a conversation" about ways to head off future mass shootings, he added. "That's a tough assignment for a president who thrives on division and whose aides say he views discord and unease about cultural, economic, and demographic changes as key to his reelection," The Associated Press notes,

Officials in both cities are wary of Wednesday's visits. El Paso residents and lawmakers have asked Trump to stay away, saying his anti-immigrant and anti-Latino rhetoric contributed to the shootings, and Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley said Tuesday that while she will meet with Trump on Wednesday, she was disappointed with his short-lived calls for post-shooting unity Monday. "Everyone has it in their power to be a force to bring people together, and everybody has it in their power to be a force to bring people apart — that's up to the president of the United States," she said ...

In a USA Today/Ipsos poll conducted Monday and Tuesday, 50 percent of respondents — including 23 percent of Republicans — said Trump bore some responsibility for the shootings, and 69 percent said racism and white nationalism was a contributing factor. Peter Weber

https://theweek.com/speedreads/857569/trumps-visit-el-paso-dayton-overshadowed-by-trumps-rhetoric

[LisaL]

2. Strong background checks for what?

[hack89]

3. I think he is considering universal background checks. Nt

[LisaL]

4. To be allowed what?

Just exist?

[hack89]

5. We keep hearing the gun show loophole needs to be closed

UBCs is how you do that.

[leftyladyfrommo]

6. I want a front row seat for this one. nt