LEADING DEMOCRATS IRRESPONSIBLY BLAME TRUMP FOR EL PASO MASS SHOOTING
By KARL ROVE
A friend of mine who lives in Texas is representative of voters who will decide the 2020 presidential race. He supports many of President Trump’s policies but winces at his behavior, words and unpresidential tone.
You’d think Democratic candidates would be trying to gain his vote or at least multiply his doubts about Mr. Trump. Instead, they lose all sense of proportion. Many blame the mass shooting in El Paso on the president. They say he’s a racist who motivates other racists to go on shooting sprees. To my friend, these statements come across as reckless and irresponsible. What Democratic candidates are doing is bad politics—and more important, it’s wrong.
Unfortunately, we are well past the point when politicians would stay silent long enough to let the victims’ families and friends grieve in peace. And I get that over-the-top rhetoric may help improve some Democrats’ chances to win the nomination. But it seems the more these White House hopefuls struggle for attention, the more extreme and desperate they make themselves look.
“I want to say with more moral clarity that Donald Trump is responsible for this,” Sen. Cory Booker declared of the shooting. Mayor Pete Buttigieg echoed the sentiment, arguing the president is “at best, condoning and encouraging white nationalists” like the Texas shooter.
