President Trump explained that he is “concerned about the rise of any group of hate” while speaking to reporters on Wednesday morning.
The president’s remarks came only days after two mass shootings, one in El Paso, Texas, and another in Dayton, Ohio, that left over 30 people dead. A number of people have expressed sentiments that Trump’s rhetoric is responsible for the Texas shooting because the alleged El Paso shooter’s anti-immigrant manifesto used language similar to that of the president.
While fielding questions from reporters prior to his departure for the sites of the shootings, he was asked about the rise in hate groups.
Trump answered, “I am concerned about the rise of any group of hate. I don’t like it. Any group of hate whether it’s white supremacy, whether it’s any other kind of supremacy. Whether it’s antifa, whether it’s any group of hate, I am very concerned about it and I’ll do something about it.”
He made the comments about “the rise” of hate groups while also addressing potential new gun legislation. The president backed the idea of “red flag” laws and expanding background checks during a speech on Monday in a public address following the shootings.
“So you have to have a political appetite within Congress and so far I have not seen that. I can only do what I can do. I think there’s a great appetite to do something with regard to making sure that mentally unstable, seriously ill people aren’t carrying guns. And I’ve never seen the appetite as strong as it is now. I have not seen it with regard to certain types of weapons,” Trump said.
