The remaining eight victims of the El Paso shooting who are currently being treated for their injuries in hospital refused to meet President Trump during his visit on Wednesday, The Washington Post reported.
Trump visited University Medical Center as part of his trip to El Paso and Dayton, Ohio, both cities which experienced mass shootings within hours of each other and resulted in 31 total deaths.
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On Saturday, a gunman entered a packed El Paso Walmart and began shooting at customers.
The attack , which left 22 dead and over two dozen injured, is being investigated as a possible hate crime after an anti-immigrant manifesto believed to belong to suspected gunman, 21-year-old Patrick Crusius, was discovered.
Following the attack, fifteen people were taken to University Medical Center to be treated for their injuries.
One person who was brought to the hospital died shortly after arriving. Of those fifteen, eight patients remain hospitalized — five in critical condition, and three in serious condition.
On Tuesday, Trump announced he would be visiting El Paso, as well as Dayton, where another shooting took place on the weekend.
The President’s announcement was met with largely mixed responses from both cities, particularly El Pasoans who believe Trump’s passionate anti-immigrant rhetoric has encouraged other like-minded groups.
Trump and Melania began in Dayton on Wednesday where they visited a local hospital treating victims of Sunday’s shooting.
According to Buzzfeed News , the journalists who accompanied Trump were not permitted inside the hospital while he met with victims, hospital staff, and first responders.
Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley and Senator Sherrod Brown told reporters that the hospital visit went very well. They also said they spoke to Trump and told him they wanted to see legislation in response to the tragic shooting.
“The people of Dayton are waiting for action from Washington, DC,” Whaley said.
Trump, however, was not impressed with the way in which Ohio Democrats described his visit to reporters.
In a two-part tweet following his departure from the city, Trump slammed “failed presidential candidate” Brown and Whaley for “misrepresenting what took place inside the hospital.”
A video of Whaley responding to Trump’s tweets has since been uploaded and shows the mayor’s confused reaction: “We said he was treated really well…I don’t know what you could talk about misrepresenting. Oh well…he lives in his world of Twitter.”
During the flight from Dayton to El Paso, Trump switched gears from the shooting victims to the 2020 presidential campaign.
“Watching Sleepy Joe Biden making a speech,” he wrote. “Sooo Boring! The LameStream Media will die in the ratings and clicks with this guy.”
He went on to take aim at Fox News in another tweet and said he would sooner watch “Fake News CNN” than Shepard Smith.
Upon arrival in El Paso, Trump was met with a group of protesters, some of which chanted for the President to “go home.”
Once again, reporters were not allowed inside the hospital during Trump’s visit with victims, though White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said the POTUS and first lady Melania were “received very warmly by not just victims and their families, but by the many members of medical staff who lined the hallways to meet them.”
“It was a moving visit for all involved,” she said.
However, those who were inside the hospital tell a different story of the president’s visit.
As the The Washington Post reported UMC spokesman Ryan Mielke revealed that none of the eight victims being treated at the hospital agreed to meet with Trump.
“This is a very sensitive time in their lives,” he said. “Some of them said they didn’t want to meet with the president, some of them didn’t want any visitors.”
Trump did meet with two survivors, though these were reportedly people who had already been discharged and returned.
Following his visit to El Paso, Trump tweeted, “The love, respect & enthusiasm were there for all to see. They have been through so much. Sad!”
The hospitalized victims also refused to meet Senator Ted Cruz, who arrived on Wednesday as well.
Although he was rebuffed by the victims, he still visited UMC and met with staff in the hospital’s emergency department.
In a tweet , he condemned the attack as being “a heinous act of terrorism and white supremacy.”
Other politicans have visited the hospital to meet with the victims, including Reps. Veronica Escobar of Texas and Jesús “Chuy” Garcia of Illinois.
Escobar, who has been visiting victims since Sunday, said the visits were difficult at first because of the “emotional and physical pain.”
“They have since become so cathartic and beautiful and have given me so much hope,” she said.
h/t: Washington Post , Buzzfeed News
