Ahead of his expected address Monday on the mass shootings in Texas and Ohio over the weekend, President Trump suggested on Twitter that Congress develop bipartisan legislation that ties “strong background checks” for gun purchases with immigration reform.
….this legislation with desperately needed immigration reform. We must have something good, if not GREAT, come out of these two tragic events!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 5, 2019
The tweets come after Trump was criticized over the weekend for doing little to address the two separate shooting massacres that left 29 people dead. Trump surfaced briefly on Sunday to make spurious, unsubstantiated claims about the mental health of the shooters in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio.
There’s been no indication thus far that mental health was a factor in either of the shootings. While police are still investigating the motives in both cases, authorities are probing the El Paso massacre as a hate crime because the shooter is believed to have posted an anti-immigrant manifesto online before taking the lives of 20 people at a Walmart.
While many are pointing to President Trump’s own racist rhetoric for the rise in white supremacist violence in the U.S., Trump tweeted Monday morning that the media has a “big responsibility to life and safety in our country.”
The Media has a big responsibility to life and safety in our Country. Fake News has contributed greatly to the anger and rage that has built up over many years. News coverage has got to start being fair, balanced and unbiased, or these terrible problems will only get worse!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 5, 2019
