This archive report was first published on 8 August 2019.
On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump visited victims of mass shootings in Ohio and Texas, but his divisive rhetoric on race and gun control sparked protests and controversy.
Trump's visit to El Paso, Texas, was met with protests, with signs reading 'Go home. You are NOT welcome here!' and 'Trump hatred, racism not welcome here.'
Similar scenes unfolded in Dayton, Ohio, where nine people died in a mass shooting over the weekend.
Despite promising a message of unity, Trump continued to rail against his opponents, accusing Ohio Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown of being 'very dishonest' for questioning the use of Trump's visit to Dayton.
Trump also denied any racism, but his choice of language, linking Hispanic migrants to murder, rape and invasion, is widely seen as incendiary.
As recently as May, the president laughed and made a quip when a supporter at one of his rallies yelled that they should 'shoot' illegal immigrants.
Leading Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden gave a speech on Wednesday accusing Trump of fanning 'the flames of white supremacy.'
Trump responded on Twitter, calling Biden 'Sooo Boring!' and claiming that his rhetoric 'brings people together.'
However, Trump's visit to the shooting victims was also marked by a sense of awkwardness, as he blended the traditional presidential role of consoler-in-chief with accusations that he is himself to blame for rising tensions in the United States over race.
