[guest post by Dana]
In the early hours this morning, President Trump made his first comments about the mass shootings this weekend, suggesting legislation tie immigration reform and gun control together:
Just a short while ago, Trump made a statement from the White House about El Paso and Dayton in which he condemned white supremacy (beginning at the 41:16 mark):
From The New York Times:
President Trump forcefully condemned white supremacy in the wake of twin mass shootings over the weekend, citing the threat of “racist hate” and calling for national unity in devising a response.
“In one voice our nation must condemn racism, bigotry and white supremacy,” Mr. Trump said. [“These sinister ideologies must be defeated. Hate has no place in America”]
[…]
“These barbaric slaughters are an assault upon our communities, an attack upon our nation and a crime against all of humanity,” Mr. Trump said.
Trump did not specifically address measures that gun control advocates argue are needed:
But Mr. Trump stopped well short of supporting the kind of broad gun control measures that activists and Democrats have sought for years, instead calling for stronger action to address mental illness, violence in the media and in video games, as well as “the perils of the internet and social media.”
Trump also called for laws that would ensure that those “judged a grave risk to public safety do not have access to firearms”. He also made this declaration: “Mental illness pulls the trigger, not the gun.”
Trump called for law enforcement and social media companies to do more to combat extremism and spot warning signs of violence online. He also called for a reduction in the “glorification” of violence in American culture, laws to make it easier to commit those with mental illness and “red flag laws” to separate such individuals from firearms.
Trump also directed the Department of Justice to seek and prioritize the enforcement of the death penalty in cases of hate crimes and mass shootings.
Trump’s remarks from the White House this morning did not echo his earlier tweets suggesting legislation tying together strong background checks with immigration reform.
[Ed. As this point, the White House has still not provided the full text of the president’s remarks.]
–Dana