Days After Call for Unity, Trump Connects Dayton Shooter Politics to Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren
President Donald Trump insinuated a direct connection between the Dayton shooter and Democratic Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren on Wednesday.
As Trump bashed the New York Times during a new Twitter diatribe about “fake news,” he eventually moved to highlight the news that the Dayton killer’s social media profile shows he supported liberal politicians and organizations like Antifa.
“I hope other news outlets will report this as opposed to Fake News. Thank you!” Trump said.
“Meanwhile, the Dayton, Ohio, shooter had a history of supporting political figures like Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and ANTIFA.” @OANN I hope other news outlets will report this as opposed to Fake News. Thank you!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 7, 2019
CNN, one of Trump’s favorite media punching bags, has reported on the contents of shooter’s now-deleted Twitter account. It’s worth noting, however, that unlike the El Paso shooting – where an apparent racial and political motive was made obvious in the immediate aftermath – investigators have yet to determine the Dayton shooter’s motives, political or otherwise.
The El Paso shooter left a manifesto which included numerous passages that directly reflect, and in some cases, are nearly exactly the same xenophobic rhetoric of President Trump. The Dayton assailant is reported to have been a political supporter of progressive candidates, but there is thus far no reporting that in any way suggests his heinous action was inspired by the politics of those on the left.
Trump’s tweets come two days after his White House address where he urged the country towards unity while offering a condemnation of the white supremacist ideas behind the El Paso shooting.
