Dayton, Ohio, Mayor Nan Whaley said she thinks President Trump’s visit to the city in the wake of a mass shooting was appreciated by some but did not necessarily bring the community together.
“I think that the victims in the hospital appreciated the president of the United States coming. I think that the first responders appreciated it,” Whaley, a Democrat, told reporters Tuesday. “I think it was difficult on the community because he has such a — everyone has such strong feelings about the president, both positive and negative. So when we’re talking about bringing the community together, he’s not helpful there.”
Last week, Whaley, 43, called the president’s visit to the city a “disservice.” The comments came after Trump slammed the mayor on Twitter for “misrepresenting” his reception.
….misrepresenting what took place inside of the hospital. Their news conference after I left for El Paso was a fraud. It bore no resemblance to what took place with those incredible people that I was so lucky to meet and spend time with. They were all amazing!o
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 7, 2019
“If those tweets weren’t mentioned at all his trip would be fine, and instead there’s a big discussion about what was the purpose of this trip,” she said.
The mayor also made fun of the president for mistaking Dayton for Toledo in a speech he gave following the mass shooting.
Nine people were killed and two dozen others were injured in a mass shooting that shook the city. The perpetrator was shot dead on the scene by police officers that ended the shooting spree in under a minute.
