In a press conference at the White House Monday morning, President Donald Trump denounced white supremacy and racism following the mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, over the weekend that left 29 people dead and dozens more injured.
Trump said that a “wicked man” went to a Walmart store in El Paso, and that a “twisted monster” carried out the shooting not even 24 hours later in Dayton.
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“Our nation is overcome with shock, horror and sorrow,” Trump said. “We are outraged and sickened by this monstrous evil.”
Trump: “In one voice, our nation must condemn racism, bigotry and white supremacy. These sinister ideologies must be defeated. Hate has no place in America.” https://t.co/sZSr7MUWHR pic.twitter.com/bXL3WKeRYR
— CBS News (@CBSNews) August 5, 2019
“These barbaric slaughters are an assault upon our communities, an attack upon our nation and a crime against all of humanity,” he continued.
“In one voice, our nation must condemn racism, bigotry and white supremacy,” the president said. “These sinister ideologies must be defeated. Hate has no place in America.”
He added, “Hatred warps the mind, ravages the heart and devours the soul.”
He also cited mental health as factors in mass shootings. “Mental illness and hatred pulls the trigger, not the gun,” he said, calling to “reform our mental health laws.”
“We must recognize that the internet has provided a dangerous avenue to radicalize disturbed minds and perform demented acts. We must shine line on the dark recesses of the internet and stop mass murders before they start. The internet, likewise, is used for human trafficking, illegal drug distribution and so many other heinous crimes. The perils of the internet and social media cannot be ignored and they will not be ignored,” he continued.
He called on the Department of Justice to “propose legislation ensuring that those who commit hate crimes and mass murders face the death penalty and that this capital punishment be delivered quickly, decisively and without years of needless delay.”
“We must stop the glorification of violence in our society. This includes the gruesome and grisly video games that are now commonplace…It is too easy for troubled youth to surround themselves with a culture that celebrates violence. We must stop or substantially reduce this and it has to begin immediately.”
On Saturday morning, 20 people were killed while shopping at a crowded Walmart in El Paso. Just hours later, nine people were killed outside a bar in a popular nightlife district in downtown Dayton.
