President Donald Trump Orders Flags Flown At Half-Staff As Democrats Blame Him For Mass Shootings
On the heels of two deadly mass shooting events that took the lives of dozens and left dozens more wounded, President Donald Trump ordered American flags to be flown at half-staff until sunset on August 8.
According to USA Today, Trump condemned the “cowardly acts” and explained that the entire nation mourned those who were lost in the tragic events.
In a Sunday tweet, Trump announced the lowering of the flags at all federal buildings across the country.
“Today, I authorized the lowering of the flags to half-staff at all Federal Government buildings in honor of the victims of the tragedies in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio….”
He added a follow-up tweet that said he and First Lady Melania Trump would be praying for the victims of both mass shootings.
….The flags at the White House will be lowered today through Thursday, August 8. Melania and I are praying for all those impacted by this unspeakable act of evil!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 4, 2019
Several 2020 Democratic hopefuls piled on after the mass shooting attacks, blaming Trump for his rhetoric and failure to take action on gun control measures.
According to KTLA, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker slammed the president, laying blame for the shootings directly at the president’s feet.
“You reap what you sow, and he is sowing seeds of hate in this country. This harvest of hate violence we’re seeing right now lies at his feet,” Booker said on Sunday’s Meet The Press.
According to The Inquisitr, Sen. Kamala Harris also blasted the Trump administration for failing to dedicate adequate resources to fighting domestic terrorism, a term that federal authorities are using to describe the El Paso attack.
“When we’re talking about domestic terrorism, we also have to recognize that, under this administration, [the government has] not been putting the resources into investigating and dealing with these cases as they are, what they are, which is, to your point, domestic terrorism,” Harris told CNN host Jake Tapper on Sunday’s State of the Union.
On Saturday, South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg blasted Trump, claiming the president is responsible for encouraging a rise in white nationalist attacks, according to Huff Post.
JUST IN: Trump orders flags to half-staff as "mark of solemn respect" for victims of shootings https://t.co/fMehL1ZcxG pic.twitter.com/FpAurSDiM1
— The Hill (@thehill) August 4, 2019
“America is under attack from homegrown white nationalist terrorism,” he said. “White nationalism is evil. And it is inspiring people to commit murder, and it is being condoned at the highest levels of the American government, and that has to end.”
Sen. Amy Klobuchar echoed other candidates, claiming Trump’s rhetoric has “fueled more hate in this country,” but placed blame for the attacks on the individual shooters.
According to Politico, 2020 hopeful Beto O’Rourke, made crystal clear that he believes the attacks that cost so many lives in his hometown are a direct result of Trump’s rhetoric and charged the president with “encouraging” the attacks.
The El Paso native announced on Saturday that he would be cutting his latest campaign stop short in order to return to his hometown to deal with the aftermath of the mass attack.
During Sunday’s State of the Union show, O’Rourke explained that “we have to acknowledge the hatred, the open racism that we’re seeing,” and added that “there is an environment of it in the United States.”
Many additional Democratic presidential candidates made similar statements against Trump in the wake of both mass shootings.
