2020 Democrats attack New York Times for headline giving Trump an easy ride on his response to mass shootings

New York Times

The New York Times' first edition on Tuesday bearing the widely-condemned headline.

• Democratic Party presidential candidates have slammed The New York Times for its characterization of President Donald Trump's response to two mass shootings over the weekend.
• The first edition of the newspaper's Tuesday issue had the headline "TRUMP URGES UNITY VS. RACISM" which Beto O'Rourke called "unbelievable" and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez "cowardice."
• Much news coverage on Monday focused on Trump's prevaricating response to the shootings, which saw him initially focus on mental health instead of addressing white supremacy.
• Trump's response also saw him attempt to blame the media, and also use the shootings as an opportunity to advance his plans for immigration reform.
• After a backlash, the newspaper changed the headline for a later edition. The later headline was "ASSAILING HATE, BUT NOT GUNS."
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Democratic Party politicians have criticized The New York Times for a front-page headline which gave a positive impression of President Donald Trump's response to two mass shootings.

The newspaper's first edition of its Tuesday front page used the headline "TRUMP URGES UNITY VS. RACISM."

Many, including 2020 candidates, and even New York Times writers, saw this as an inadequate summary of a fractious day in which Trump had drawn significant criticism for how he handled the aftermath of mass killings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio.

Trump's initial response was to highlight the mental health of the gunmen in both shootings. Other elements of his response included blaming the media, and suggesting that the shootings provided a good prompt for immigration reform.

Many - including the Times - noted similarities between a document the suspect posted online ahead of the shooting and Trump's past statements. The full Times article noted the "plain echoes of his [Trumps'] own language in the El Paso suspect's anti-immigrant manifesto" - but not the headline.

Eventually, Trump did take a stand against white supremacy - the ideology which appears to have motivated the shooter in El Paso.

In words which appear to have inspired the Times headline, Trump told reporters in The White House: "In one voice, our nation must condemn racism, bigotry, and white supremacy."

After strong condemnation from Beto O'Rourke, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Kirsten Gillibrand, and Bill de Blasio, the newspaper changed the headline to "ASSAILING HATE, BUT NOT GUNS" for the second edition.

New York Times

The New York Times' second edition, with the new headline.

O'Rourke had called the original headline "Unbelievable."

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez retweeted an image of the front page with the comment: "Let this front page serve as a reminder of how white supremacy is aided by - and often relies upon - the cowardice of mainstream institutions."

Read more: The El Paso Walmart mass shooting claimed 22 victims. Here are their stories.

US Senator for New Jersey Cory Booker tweeted: "Lives literally depend on you doing better, NYT. Please do."

Of the headline Kirsten Gillibrand tweeted: "That's not what happened."

Read more: Joe Biden says he would institute a national buyback program and reinstate the assault weapons ban to 'get them off the street'

Bill de Blasio, New York City Mayor, referenced a Times advertising slogan in his criticism: "Hey, @nytimes - what happened to 'The Truth Is Worth It?'."

Trump has often avoided condemning violence by white nationalists, famously blaming "both sides" after an anti-immigrant protester ran down and killed a counter-protester in Charlottesville in 2017.

Read more: The men behind the US's deadliest mass shootings have something in common - and it's not mental illness

Other prominent figures in US politics also weighed in on the Times' headline.

Nate Silver, editor in chief of FiveThirtyEight tweeted: "Not sure "TRUMP URGES UNITY VS. RACISM" is how I would have framed the story."

Even the Times' own columnist Wajahat Ali disapproved. "I write for the NYT. This is a terrible headline," he tweeted.

Business Insider has contacted the New York Times for comment, but is yet to receive a response.