President Trump is heading to El Paso on Wednesday August 7th, accepting an invitation from the city’s mayor that comes over the objections of several prominent local officials.
Republican Mayor Dee Margo on Monday said the invitation is part of what he feels is his “obligation” to meet with the president in the wake of a Saturday shooting that left 22 dead. But several city officials say the visit from Trump, whose rhetoric mirrors that of the white nationalist killer who targeted immigrants, is inappropriate, and Margo acknowledged that he is “already getting the emails and phone calls” from angry El Paso residents.
Adding to the frustration: The Trump campaign still owes El Paso nearly $600,000 from the president’s last visit to the city in February.
Two particularly angry El Pasoans are Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-Texas), the city’s representative in Washington, D.C., and the man she replaced in that role, Beto O’Rourke, who is now running for president. Both have said publicly that he is not welcome in the city.
“He is not welcome here. He should not come here while we are in mourning,” Escobar said Monday on MSNBC, going on to note that instances of hate crimes increased in cities where Trump held rallies.
It is worth recalling that Trump spoke in front of 6,500 people inside the El Paso County Coliseum in February.
The Yucatan Times Newsroom