Tito Anchondo, who lost his brother and sister-in-law in the El Paso, Texas mass shooting last weekend, defended the decision to bring his now-orphaned, 2-month-old nephew to meet and take a picture with President Trump.
Andre Anchondo was killed while he shielded his wife, Jordan, who died as she shielded their son Paul from bullets during the attack. Paul was grazed, but survived.
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The president and first lady Melania Trump traveled to El Paso and Dayton, Ohio on Wednesday to meet with victims, their families, and medical staff. Paul was discharged from the hospital the day before Trump’s visit, and his uncle decided to bring him back to meet with Trump.
When the first lady posted the photograph of the family on Thursday, the Trumps received criticism for smiling with the family, despite Anchondo saying his family are Republicans and that his brother supported Trump. He told the Washington Post that he “did not want the photo to be seen through a political lens.”
I met many incredible people in Dayton, Ohio & El Paso, Texas yesterday. Their communities are strong and unbreakable. @potus and I stand with you! pic.twitter.com/SHzV6zcVKR
— Melania Trump (@FLOTUS) August 8, 2019
The president “wasn’t there to be pushing any kind of political agenda,” he had previously told NPR, describing “a private conversation between human beings” that did console his family.
“I want to see if he’s genuine and see if my political views are right or wrong, and see if he feels maybe some kind of remorse for statements that he’s made,” Anchondo also said. “I just want to have a human-to-human talk with him and see how he feels.”
While Trump met with some medical staff in El Paso, some victims who were still being treated in the hospital did not want to meet with him.
22 people were killed as the result of the shooter targeting Hispanics. In a manifesto that appears to have been written by the shooter, he wrote how he wanted to stop the “Hispanic invasion of Texas.” In the same screed, the shooter said his beliefs “predate Trump and his campaign.”
