After the manifesto that was reportedly written by the El Paso mass shooter, where he describes his hatred for Hispanics, was revealed, many in the large 2020 Democratic presidential candidate field said President Trump is to blame for the shooter’s actions.
Many in the crowded field of 2020 Democratic presidential candidates claimed Sunday that Trump is at least partly to blame for the mass shooting in El Paso.
In a screed that was allegedly written by the shooter, he describes his hatred for Hispanics that claimed he wanted to stop the “Hispanic invasion of Texas.” He maintained that his beliefs “predate Trump and his campaign.”
Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan said on CNN that “I read that manifesto this morning a couple of times. The language in there is so similar to the kind of language that you hear at a Trump rally, you see in his tweets. The president isn’t just speaking to really smart people who are stable at his rallies. He’s speaking to the lowest common denominator, to where this jackass gets in a car and drives 10 hours to go kill Latinos and Hispanics and Mexicans.”
Former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke, whose hometown is El Paso, said that Trump, Fox News, and the internet help create an environment conducive to racism.
“I have to tell you, in addition to universal background checks and in addition to ending the sales of weapons of war into our communities, in addition to red flag laws, we’ve got to acknowledge the hatred, the open racism that we’re seeing. There is an environment of it in the United States,” O’Rourke told CNN’s Jake Tapper.
“We see it on Fox News, we see it on the internet, but we also see it from our commander-in-chief,” he added. “He is encouraging this. He doesn’t just tolerate it, he encourages it, calling immigrants rapists and criminals, warning of an invasion on our border, seeking to ban all people of one religion.”
New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker went a step further, saying that Trump was directly responsible because of his rhetoric.
“When you have the president from the highest moral office in our land talking about ‘invasions’ and ‘infestations’ and ‘shithole countries.'” Booker told MSNBC. “The kind of things that come out of his mouth. It harms the moral fabric of our nation. He is responsible.”
South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg compared Trump to former KKK leader David Duke during an interview with Fox News host Chris Wallace.
“There is no question that white nationalism is condoned at the highest level of our government. When this kind of rhetoric happened 20 years ago when David Duke tried to run for office as a Republican, the Republican Party was horrified. They couldn’t run away fast enough,” he said.
Other candidates placed the blame on Trump through Twitter, such as Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders. In an interview with Jake Tapper, Sanders said, “I am sure that President Trump does not want anybody in this country to go around shooting other people. But what he has got to understand is that when you have language that is racist, that is virulently anti-immigrant, there are mentally unstable people in this country who see that as a sign to do terrible, terrible things. I think the president has to stop the racism and that xenophobia immediately.”
We need to call out white nationalism for what it is—domestic terrorism. It is a threat to the United States, and we’ve seen its devastating toll this weekend. And we need to call out the president himself for advancing racism and white supremacy. pic.twitter.com/pdE9CAiQqx
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) August 4, 2019
We have to forcefully denounce violent acts of domestic terrorism and white supremacy. We need a President who will stand up to hate, instead of stoking division.
— Michael Bennet (@MichaelBennet) August 4, 2019
You’ve heard it said when it comes to terrorism: if you see something, say something. So I’m saying something. This president has to stop emboldening white nationalism. He is actively endangering American lives. pic.twitter.com/MbKGV0VGlt
— Jay Inslee (@JayInslee) August 4, 2019
Mr. President: stop your racist, hateful and anti-immigrant rhetoric. Your language creates a climate which emboldens violent extremists.
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) August 4, 2019
When Donald Trump fans the flames of hate and division, there are real consequences.
Tragedies like the El Paso shooting are preventable, and also sadly the result of mixing high powered weapons of war with uncontested bigotry.
— Julián Castro (@JulianCastro) August 4, 2019
All of the Democratic candidates have called for stricter gun control legislation in response to the mass shootings. This includes calling on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to recall Congress from recess to pass the gun control bills that were passed in the House.
