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Trump Proposes ‘Strong Background Checks … Desperately Needed Immigration Reform’ In Wake Of Mass Shootings

Phillip Nieto Contributor
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President Donald Trump tweeted Monday morning a proposal to have more background checks for gun purchases paired with immigration reform following the weekend shootings in Texas and Ohio.

Trump said in a Monday morning tweet, “Republicans and Democrats must come together and get strong background checks, perhaps marrying this legislation with desperately needed immigration reform. We must have something good, if not GREAT, come out of these two tragic events!”

“We cannot let those killed in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, die in vain,”  Trump added. “Likewise for those so seriously wounded. We can never forget them, and those many who came before them.”

Trump also suggested that background checks be paired with immigration reform.

On Saturday, 20 people in El Paso, Texas lost their lives to a right-wing extremist with anti-Hispanic views during a shooting at a local Walmart.

Moments before the massacre the shooter posted a now widely-circulated manifesto online in which he stated, “This attack is a response to the Hispanic invasion of Texas. They are the instigators, not me. I am simply defending my country from cultural and ethnic replacement brought on by an invasion.” (RELATED: ‘Hispanic Invasion’: Alleged El Paso Shooter’s Manifesto Is An Anti-Immigrant Call To Arms)

On Sunday, Trump blamed mental heath as a possible reason for the the increase in mass shootings over the past couple of years. In addition, he denounced the views of the shooter, said, “hate has no place in our country” and stated he wants to take a serious look at solving mass shootings.

He also tweeted out his condolences to the victims of the El Paso shooting on Saturday, which was met with widespread criticism from various left-leaning media and political figures.

The President is expected to give a full address on the El Paso and Ohio shootings later today at 10 a.m. EST.