President Donald Trump addressed the nation following two horrific mass shootings over the weekend in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio. The El Paso shooting claimed the lives of 20 victims, while the gunman in Dayton killed 9 including his own sister. Dozens more were injured in the attacks.
Because of the shootings, there have been renewed calls for gun reform and people have been waiting for the president to address the mass shootings.
On Monday, August 5, Trump finally faced the media but it was a major misstep that generated the most attention.
“May God bless the memory of those who perished in Toledo, may God protect them. May God protect all of those from Texas to Ohio. May God bless the victims and their families,” Trump said during his speech the White House.
Whoops.
As you might expect, the internet let Trump have it.
“Is it too much to ask that we have a President who can get the name of the city that just suffered a massacre right? It’s not Toledo. It’s Dayton. This guy is a f*cking embarrassment,” lawyer Michael Avenatti wrote.
Adam Best, who runs the progressive website The Left, added: “Ohio seems to think of itself as Trump country, but its residents should realize that when terrorism hit Dayton, one of the biggest cities in the state, Trump was having a grand old time at his golf club and then mistakenly called it Toledo. Wake up, Ohio. He. Does. Not. Care.”
To Trump’s credit, he did call out the racist manifesto released by the El Paso shooter and condemned white supremacy.
“The shooter in El Paso posted a manifesto online consumed with racist hate,” Trump said. “In one voice, our nation must condemn bigotry, hatred and white supremacy. These sinister ideologies must be defeated. Hate has no place in America. Hatred warps the mind, ravages the heart and devours the soul.”
Our deepest condolences go out to the family and friends of all of the victims who were impacted by this terrible tragedy.
