In the wake of the Saturday shooting in Portland, Oregon, that left one man dead, the city’s mayor, Ted Wheeler, used a press conference addressing the incident to take aim at Donald Trump , Raw Story reported.
“Yesterday’s event began with hundreds of cars filled with supporters of the president rallying and driving through downtown Portland,” Wheeler said before claiming that they were “supported and energized” by Trump.
The mayor accused Trump of using his four years in office to level attacks on various demographics, including women, African Americans, and journalists.
“We’ve heard you say that John McCain wasn’t a hero because he was a prisoner of war, and now you’re attacking Democratic mayors and the very institutions of democracy that have served this nation well since its founding.”
According to Wheeler, the current civil unrest gripping the country is directly linked to the president’s rhetoric over the last four years.
“It’s you who have created the hate and the division,” he said.
Wheeler’s attacks on Trump come on the same day the U.S. leader took to Twitter to slam the mayor’s leadership. As The Inquisitr reported, the president sent a series of tweets that amplified criticisms of Wheeler and himself attacked the politician for his purportedly incompetent response to the civil unrest in his city.
The pair previously clashed over the deployment of federal forces in the city in July, a course of action Trump wants to take to combat the current unrest in Portland.
But Wheeler isn’t onboard with Trump’s tactics. Instead, he claims that Trump is fueling the violence he claims to be against.
“You have tried to divide us more than any other figure in modern history. Now you want me to stop the violence you helped to create.”
Wheeler called on Americans of all color to reject Trump’s leadership and come together to hold people accountable for violence and racism. From here, the politician claimed that peace could be achieved, something he suggested the president is actively fighting against.
The clash between Wheeler and Trump comes after a man allegedly wearing a Patriot Prayer hat was gunned down in Portland. Although it’s unclear if the victim was involved in the battle between Trump supporters and Black Lives Matter protestors, the Patriot Prayer is known as a right-wing group in favor of free speech and opposed to big government.
The group’s leader, Joey Gibson, was spotted in Portland the day of the shooting and appeared to have police protection.
Tense situation in Portland. Patriot Prayer rightwing activist Joey Gibson was cornered in a gas station. Police swooped in to protect him. Here’s Gibson talking on phone behind a line of cops #BlackLivesMatter #PortlandProtests #pdxprotest pic.twitter.com/1JAyCuq91E
— Jules Boykoff (@JulesBoykoff) August 30, 2020