El Paso mass shooting patients being treated at a local hospital refused to meet with Donald Trump when he visited, a spokesperson for the facility has said.
The US president on Wednesday traveled to both the Texas city and Dayton, Ohio, to meet with victims and first responders following two mass shootings over the weekend which left 31 people dead and dozens injured.
But following Mr. Trump’s departure from University Medical Center (UMC), where he met two victims already discharged by the hospital, UMC spokesperson Ryan Mielke revealed the eight patients still being treated there did not agree to meet the US leader.
The newspaper reported some of the victims did, however, meet a number of locally elected officials, including Democratic congresswoman Veronica Escobar.
Trump’s arrival in El Paso was met with opposition by some of the city’s elected officials and thousands of its residents, who have accused the 73-year-old of using inflammatory rhetoric and encouraging white supremacy – a racist ideology allegedly espoused by the gunman who attacked shoppers at a local Walmart.
Protesters booed Mr. Trump as he and the first lady were driven to meet the survivors and first responders at the hospital, outnumbering the president’s supporters who cheered his motorcade.
Mr. Trump was, however, praised by Sherrod Brown, a Democratic senator for Ohio, who said the president was comforting and did the right things during his meeting with Dayton shooting victims.
Despite being cast by some as the consoler-in-chief, Mr. Trump used his flight time on the way back to the White House to attack his critics and boast on Twitter about how shooting victims had shown him love, respect & enthusiasm.
My time spent in Dayton and El Paso with some of the greatest people on earth. Thank you for a job well done! pic.twitter.com/TNVDGhxOpo
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 8, 2019
“Leaving El Paso for the White House. What GREAT people I met there and in Dayton, Ohio,” Trump tweeted.
Leaving El Paso for the White House. What GREAT people I met there and in Dayton, Ohio. The Fake News worked overtime trying to disparage me and the two trips, but it just didn’t work. The love, respect & enthusiasm were there for all to see. They have been through so much. Sad!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 8, 2019
“The Fake News worked overtime trying to disparage me and the two trips, but it just didn’t work. The love, respect & enthusiasm were there for all to see. They have been through so much. Sad!” Trump cussed mainstream media
