Democratic Rep. Veronica Escobar said President Trump is “not welcome” in her city of El Paso, Texas, after a lone gunman who allegedly followed anti-immigrant and racist ideologies gunned down 22 people at a local Walmart on Saturday.
Ms. Escobar said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” that Mr. Trump’s dehumanization of illegal immigrants contributed to the attack, which is being investigated as domestic terrorism.
“This is why, from my perspective, he is not welcome here,” the congresswoman said. “He should not come here while we are in mourning.
“I would encourage the president’s staff members to have him do a little self-reflection,” she continued. “I would encourage them to show him his own words and his actions at the rallies, because we’re not going to get past this until there’s acknowledgment from the very top that we need to heal, that this whole country is hurting, that there has been bigotry and racism and hatred that has been stoked at all levels.
“As the president, he has the most significant authority and responsibility to show this country, to lead this country into healing,” she added. “And now is the time, and he needs to accept responsibility — everyone does — for what has gotten us to this point.”
Mr. Trump is expected to visit El Paso and Dayton, Ohio, on Wednesday after back-to-back mass shootings, according to Federal Aviation Administration advisories.
In Dayton, a gunman killed nine people before he was fatally shot by police outside a bar in the city’s popular Oregon District.
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
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