August 4, 2019

Democratic Presidential Candidates Are Reacting to a Weekend of Mass Shootings. They’re Not Mincing Words.

“Let’s be very clear about what is causing this and who the president is—he is an open, avowed racist and is encouraging more racism in this country.”

CNN

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On Sunday morning, Democratic presidential hopefuls responded to a grisly weekend of mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio. Many spoke with Jake Tapper on CNN’s “State of the Union,” saying that President Trump was responsible for fueling racist acts of violence and for not encouraging common-sense gun policy.

Minutes before the shooting in El Paso, a predominantly Latino city, suspected gunman Patrick Crusius allegedly posted an anti-immigrant manifesto online warning of a “Hispanic invasion of Texas” and detailing a plan to separate America into territories by race.

Asked by Tapper if he thinks Trump is a white nationalist, El Paso native Beto O’Rourke said, “Yes, I do.” He went on, “Let’s be very clear about what is causing this and who the president is. He is an open, avowed racist and is encouraging more racism in this country—and this is incredibly dangerous for the United States of America right now.”

Tapper went on to speak with Democratic candidates Sen. Cory Booker, Sen. Kamala Harris, Julián Castro, Pete Buttigieg, and Sen. Bernie Sanders. Here’s what they had to say:

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