US Present Donald Trump has hit back at Barack Obama after the former president implicitly urged Americans to “reject” any leader who used hate language, promoted terrorism and normalized racist sentiments. RNA - Following Saturday's domestic terror attack in El Paso, Texas, Obama called on Americans to reject “any of our leaders that feeds a climate of fear and hatred”.
Obama on Monday issued a lengthy statement urging Americans to reject leaders who feed "a climate of fear and hatred."
“We should soundly reject language coming out of the mouths of any of our leaders that feeds a climate of fear and hatred and normalizes racist sentiment," he said. "Leaders who demonize those who don't look like us, or suggest that other people, including immigrants, threaten our way of life, or refer to other people as sub-human, or imply that America belongs to just one certain type of people."
In the implicit rebuke, Obama did not mention Trump by name as is customary among former presidents.
In response to the rebuke, Trump tweeted a quote from "Fox & Friends" co-anchor Brian Kilmeade criticizing the former president's response to mass shootings during his presidency.
“Did George Bush ever condemn President Obama after Sandy Hook. President Obama had 32 mass shootings during his reign. Not many people said Obama is out of Control. Mass shootings were happening before the President even thought about running for Pres.” @kilmeade @foxandfriends
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 6, 2019
Kilmeade raised the question whether George Bush had ever rebuked Barack Obama for the numerous mass shooting incidents that happened during his tenure as president.
Obama's statement came as many Democratic lawmakers called for greater regulations surrounding gun purchases, accusing Trump of emboldening white nationalists through his racist statements.
The suspect in the El Paso attack posted a racist, anti-immigrant screed featuring language used by Trump shortly before the rampage, investigators say.
He refers to Hispanics coming to the US as an invasion, echoing Trump's immigration rhetoric.
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