DONALD TRUMP has controversially tweeted about “desperately needed immigration reform” in response to the mass shootings in Texas and Ohio over the weekend.
In a series of tweets posted on Monday morning, the President began by paying tribute to those who had been killed, injured and affected by the tragedies.
“We cannot let those killed in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio, die in vain. Likewise for those so seriously wounded. We can never forget them, and those many who came before them,” he tweeted.
Trump then stressed that Republicans and Democrats must now come together and “get strong background checks, perhaps marrying this legislation with desperately needed immigration reform.”
Criticism came flooding in on social media with many taking exception to Trump’s supposed solution - especially given the nature of the El Paso shooting in particular, which appears to have been an anti-immigrant attack.
An estimated 83% of people living in the El Paso county area are of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity according to the 2018 census.
Calls for stricter gun-control laws have surfaced once more.
To further stir the pot, Trump then shifted the blame to the media, citing “fake news” as a big contributor to the “anger and rage” that has built up in America over the years.
“The Media has a big responsibility to life and safety in our Country,” he wrote.
“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!”
Many shouted ‘hypocrisy’ in response to his tweets, with a sizable amount of Americans believing that it is President Trump, not the media, who is inciting violence and anger.
Speaking at the El Paso vigil on Sunday, Irish-American politician Beto O’Rourke, who had previously served as a Congressman in the city, accused the President of inciting racism.
