Trump news: President heads to El Paso after attacking Dayton mayor and being met with protests in Ohio
Follow the latest updates, as it happened
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Donald Trump visited El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, on Wednesday to pay his respects and meet with first responders following mass shootings in both communities over the weekend that left 31 dead.
As the president served his role of consoler-in-chief, he encountered a sometimes hostile reception, and went on the offensive against his critics in spite of the solemn nature of his duties.
"We had an amazing day, as you know we left Ohio and there was a lot of love, and a lot of respect," Mr Trump said in El Paso after meeting with first responders, doctors, nurses and survivors.
"There are a lot of heroes. A lot of heroes, and a lot of people who are just incredible," Mr Trump said in Texas.
Mr Trump had attacked 2020 contender Beto O’Rourke late on Tuesday night, telling him to “be quiet” after the candidate said his racist rhetoric was responsible for the massacre at a Wal-Mart in his hometown of El Paso.
Mr O’Rourke, whose hometown is El Paso, responded: “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.”
Meanwhile, in Ohio, Dayton mayor Nan Whaley also criticised Mr Trump saying “he’s made this bed and he’s gotta lie in it” while the state’s Republican governor Mike DeWine called for expanded gun laws to stop further outbreaks of violence. Protests are widely expected in both cities.
Shortly after Mr Trump's visit to Dayton, Ms Whaley signalled that Mr Trump had been respectful during his meetings with first responders and victims in her city, but called on him to pass gun control measures alongside senator Sherrod Brown.
Mr Trump later attacked Ms Whaley and Mr Brown, saying they had misrepresented their conversations.
Please allow a moment for our liveblog to load
Here's video of Donald Trump saying his rhetoric "brings people together" in the wake of the deadly mass shootings that gripped the country over the weekend -
Donald Trump is meeting with victims in the hospital, telling them they "had God watching," according to White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham.
The USA Today headquarters in Virginia was evacuated on Wednesday afternoon amid reports of a man armed with a weapon, although claims of an active shooter at the offices were swiftly refuted by the FBI.
The publication’s newsroom was evacuated by SWAT teams as alarms rang throughout the building and police officers arrived in full body armour and equipped with rifles.
Hundreds of employees were reportedly brought outside as initial reports claimed an active shooter was on the scene. Journalists at USA Today refuted those suggestions on Twitter, but said they were in fact being evacuated.
Story to come...
The 44 names Texas congressman Joaquin Castro tweeted have at least two things in common: they are all constituents in his district and moreover, they all donated the maximum amount to Donald Trump’s campaign this year.
The Democrat brother of presidential hopeful Julián Castro said the people listed – including retirees, business owners and other individuals whose names are public record – were “fuelling a campaign of hate.”
He wrote: “Sad to see so many San Antonians as 2019 maximum donors to Donald Trump – the owner of @BillMillerBarBQ, owner of the @HistoricPearl, realtor Phyllis Browning, etc. Their contributions are fuelling a campaign of hate that labels Hispanic immigrants as invaders.”
Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw troops from Syria has left US allies ill-equipped to deal with a resurgent Isis, according to a new Pentagon report.
Isis has been steadily rebuilding its capabilities since the defeat of its caliphate in March this year. In the time since, it has established “resurgent cells” in the country and carried out assassinations, suicide attacks, abductions and arson of crops, the report said.
But the withdrawal of some 2,000 US soldiers has “decreased the support available for Syrian partner forces at a time when their forces need more training and equipping to respond to the Isis resurgence”.
2020 hopeful Julian Castro slammed Donald Trump over his incendiary comments about immigrants, saying, "Trump's rhetoric of Latinos as the 'other' is dangerous and doesn't belong in this country."
Local leaders in Dayton, Ohio have urged Donald Trump in a publicly televised statement to push Congress for gun control reform in the wake of a deadly mass shooting to grip the community -
Joe Biden is delivering a blistering speech where he's tearing into Donald Trump in Burlington, Iowa ahead of the president's arrival in El Paso, Texas, the site of a deadly mass shooting over the weekend -
Democrat Elijah Cummings is meanwhile calling on the president to visit his district of Baltimore after he attacked the region as "infested" in tweets widely viewed as racist -
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments