Paying his respects, President Trump will travel to Dayton and El Paso today, but he may not get a warm welcome.
The president will meet with victims and first responders in both cities. However, some people in both of these cities are questioning if his visits will have the right effect.
The White House says the president wants to bring a message of unity and healing, but there are reports of expected protests in both cities where emotions range from extreme grief and frustration to anger.
President Trump will first travel to Dayton and then El Paso – two communities grieving from this weekend’s mass shootings that killed more than 30 people.
“What he wants to do is go to these communities and grieve with them, pray with them, offer condolences,” said White House Press Secretary Hogan Gidley.
This trip is not without controversy, as many feel that President Trump’s language has been divisive. People in both cities are questioning how effective these visits will be.
President Trump goofed on one occasion when he recently said, “May God bless the memory of those who perished in Toledo.”
“Toledo instead of Dayton? I think there are some sincerity issues there,” said one Dayton resident Robert Kasprzak.
Beyond the name mix-up, Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley says the president’s recent remarks have fallen short on gun safety issues.
“His rhetoric has been painful for many in our community and I think the people should stand up and say they’re not happy if they’re not happy that he’s coming,” said Mayor Whaley.
In El Paso, Raul Melendez’s father-in-law died shielding his wife and granddaughter. He’s looking to the president for answers.
“I hope he has better news to tell us about how all of this is going to be changed,” said Melendez.
Last night, in a Twitter back-and-forth, President Trump went after former El Paso congressman Beto O’Rourke, writing that O’Rourke should “respect the victims and law enforcement – & be quiet!”
O’Rourke retorted by tweeting, “22 people in my hometown are dead after an act of terror inspired by your racism. El Paso will not be quiet and neither will I.”
Federal authorities say they are pursuing a hate crime investigation in the case of El Paso, calling it domestic terrorism. In Dayton, the motive still remains unclear, but the FBI is now investigating alongside Dayton Police. They are exploring the gunman’s research of “violent ideologies”.
