They have nothing to do with Trump, just like other tragedies had nothing to do with (and weren’t the fault of) former President Barack Obama or any other president who was in office during a similar crisis.
“This cannot be open for debate [the president is a white nationalist] and you as well as I have a responsibility to call that out to make sure the American people understand what is being done in their name. ... He does not even pretend to respect our differences or to understand that we are all created equal. He is saying some people are inherently defective or dangerous. ...
“Let’s be very clear about what is causing this and who the president is. He is an openly avowed racist and he’s encouraging more racism in this country.”
“Nearly half a dozen other presidential contenders — including Rep. Tim Ryan of Ohio, Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Ind., and Julián Castro, the only Hispanic candidate in the 2020 Democratic field — also placed blame on Trump for his rhetoric.
“‘He is ripping at our nation,’ Booker said on CNN, repeatedly using the word ‘failing’ and saying the president ’must be held responsible.’
The act of blaming the president for these tragedies is a senseless attempt to score political points and should be rejected for several reasons.
There’s a major distinction between disagreeing with the president’s policies or choice of words and directly blaming him for the deaths of many innocent people. The former is part of the democratic process, while the latter is unfair, nonsensical, and illogical.
“Today’s shooting in El Paso, Texas, was not only tragic, it was an act of cowardice. I know that I stand with everyone in this Country to condemn today’s hateful act. There are no reasons or excuses that will ever justify killing innocent people. Melania and I send our heartfelt thoughts and prayers to the great people of Texas.”
Finally, although Obama was quite critical of law enforcement, was he at fault for the various attacks on police officers that occurred during his presidency? Given the line of thinking espoused by some on the left (as set forth above), the answer could be yes. In reality, a conclusion of this nature would be ridiculous and seriously flawed.
The truth is that people can disagree with the president on his policies, the language he uses, or the way he puts on his shoes on in the morning. However, neither Trump, Obama, the various members of Congress, nor anyone else bears responsibility for such tragedies. Blaming Trump for the tragic deaths of many innocent people is unfair.
It’s also an unfortunate attempt to politicize a national tragedy.