Trump condemns white supremacy, vague on gun measures after US shootings

SUMMARY

President Donald Trump on Monday proposed tighter monitoring of the internet, mental health reform and wider use of the death penalty in response to two mass shootings over the weekend that left 32 people dead in Texas and Ohio. Trump, a Republican, whom Democrats have accused of stoking racial divisions, said Americans must "condemn racism, bigotry and white supremacy," a day after Texas officials said racial hatred was a possible motive in the killings of 22 people in the southern border city of El Paso. A 21-year-old white man has been charged with capital murder in Saturday's shooting spree at a Walmart store. Police in El Paso cited a racist, anti-immigrant manifesto posted online shortly before the shooting, which they attributed to the suspect, Patrick Crusius. Trump did not address accusations that his own anti-immigrant and racially charged comments have contributed to a rise in race tensions, nor did he call for broad gun control measures. "These sinister ideologies must be defeated," he said in remarks at the White House. "Hate has no place in America. Hatred warps the mind, ravages the heart and devours the soul." Democrats, who have long pushed for stricter gun control, quickly accused Trump of hiding behind talk of mental health reform and the role of social media instead of committing to laws aimed at curbing gun violence in the United States.

By ReutersAug 6, 2019 9:57:18 AM IST (Updated)

US President Donald Trump speaks about the shootings in El Paso and Dayton in the Diplomatic Room of the White House in Washington. (REUTERS/Leah Millis)

Chalk writing lines the street near the scene of Sunday morning's mass shooting in Dayton, Ohio. (REUTERS/Bryan Woolston)

US President Donald Trump speaks about the shootings in El Paso and Dayton as Vice President Mike Pence looks on in the Diplomatic Room of the White House. (REUTERS/Leah Millis)

Members of motorcycle group pay their respects at a growing memorial site two days after a mass shooting at a Walmart store in El Paso, Texas. (REUTERS/Callaghan O'Hare)

A woman holds photos of her friend Angie Englisbee who died while shopping two days after a mass shooting at a Walmart store in El Paso. (REUTERS/Callaghan O'Hare)

People gather to pay their respects at a growing memorial site two days after a mass shooting at a Walmart store in El Paso. (REUTERS/Callaghan O'Hare)

Candles burn as part of a memorial at the scene of Sunday morning’s mass shooting in Dayton. (REUTERS/Bryan Woolston)

A photograph of Logan Turner, a victim in Sunday morning's killings, hangs at the scene of the mass shooting in Dayton. (REUTERS/Bryan Woolston)