Spokesman defends Trump: ‘We would never blame’ Democrats for other shootings
White House spokesman Hogan Gidley fired back Tuesday at Democrats and pundits who connected President Trump’s rhetoric on immigration to the weekend’s mass shooting in El Paso, Texas.
The shooter allegedly wrote an anti-immigrant manifesto that warned of a “Hispanic invasion” — language similar to that used on multiple occasions by Trump — before driving hundreds of miles to target the majority-Latino community.
Trump sharply condemned the shooting, but Democrats say he has amplified violent anti-immigrant sentiment, regularly referring to an “invasion” of “thugs” and “criminals” coming across the southern border.
{mosads}“I’ll just have to say, we would never dream of blaming [Sen.] Elizabeth Warren [D-Mass.] for the shooter who supports Elizabeth Warren,” Gidley told reporters at the White House.
“We would never dream of blaming Ocasio-Cortez for someone who perpetrated a terrorist attack on a DHS ICE facility because he used the same rhetoric she uses about concentration camps,” he added referencing comments Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) made about the treatment of migrants at the hands of the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“We would also never blame Barack Obama for the police shootings in Dallas. We wouldn’t blame Bernie Sanders for the shooting of [House Minority Whip] Steve Scalise or other Republicans. And quite frankly, it’s ridiculous to make those connect in some way,” he said.
The remarks come after Democrats were quick to point to parallels between Trump’s rhetoric and that of the alleged shooter, accusing the White House of fueling hatred that ultimately puts people at risk.
“We’ve had a rise in hate crimes every single one of the last three years, during an administration where you have a president who’s called Mexicans rapists and criminals,” former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas), who is running for president, said Saturday evening. “It does not just offend our sensibilities; it fundamentally changes the character of this country, and it leads to violence.”
Multiple Democrats, including several who are also running to unseat Trump, echoed O’Rourke’s sentiment, and Texas Democrats have rejected the president’s plans to visit the city on Wednesday.
“There are plenty of people in this country who commit acts of evil in the names of politicians, of celebrities and all types of things. It’s not the politician’s fault when someone acts out their evil intention,” Gidley said. “You have to blame the people here who pulled the trigger.”