,
13 tweets,
2 min read
Read on Twitter
Trump describes the El Paso and Dayton attacks as "evil." He calls the El Paso killer "a wicked man."
Trump says this weekend's killings are "an attack on our nation and a crime against all of humanity." He refers to the "terror" of the shootings, but seemingly in the context of fear, not terrorism.
Trump says, "We vow to act with urgent resolve." He doesn't immediately say how.
Trump says the El Paso shooter's manifesto was "consumed by racist hate." He says Americans "must condemn racism, bigotry and white supremacism. These sinister ideologies must be defeated."
Trump says the internet poses a radicalization problem, and also a problem with human trafficking and other crimes.
Trump calls for an effort, involving social media companies and government authorities, to develop tools to "detect mass shooters before they strike." He then denounces "gruesome and grisly video games," calling for "cultural change."
Trump calls for reform to mental health laws to treat or involuntarily confine potential killers. He also calls for preventing people deemed to pose a threat from possessing guns, and to allow guns to be seized from them.
Trump calls for "great legislation": "It is not up to mentally ill monsters, it is up to us."
Trump, speaking from a script, did not repeat his morning-Twitter suggestion of linking the strengthening of background checks and "immigration reform."
In the wake of violence and tragedy, there is often a marked difference in tone and substance between the Trump who delivers a somber speech from a text and the Trump we see on Twitter and in impromptu remarks.
Trump, concluding, asked God to bless the memory of "those who perished in Toledo," referring to the massacre in Dayton.
As Trump talks of keeping guns from people with severe mental illnesses, worth noting that a month into his presidency, he canceled an Obama rule that sought to keep guns from people with severe mental illnesses. (It was opposed by both the NRA and ACLU.) cnn.com/2017/02/28/pol…
Trump said in the speech: "Mental illness and hatred pulls the trigger, not the gun."
