Trump was 'too busy' to take her phone call about the El Paso shooting, a Democratic lawmaker said. She's now refusing to join him during his visit to the city.
- Rep. Veronica Escobar of Texas rejected the White House's invitation to join President Donald Trump during his visit to her congressional district in El Paso on Wednesday, where he is expected to address the mass shooting that killed at least 22 people.
- Trump's scheduled visit to El Paso has sparked controversy, and protests are expected to be held.
- Escobar, a freshman Democrat, said that she "requested a phone call" with the president on Tuesday to share stories from the scene of the shooting.
- Escobar said she was told Trump was "too busy" to have the discussion, prompting her refusal "to be an accessory" and reject the invitation for his Wednesday visit.
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Rep. Veronica Escobar of Texas rejected the White House's invitation to join President Donald Trump during his visit to her congressional district in El Paso on Wednesday, where he is expected to address the mass shooting that killed at least 22 people.
Escobar, a freshman Democrat, said that she "requested a phone call" with the president on Tuesday to share stories from the scene of the shooting. Trump's rhetoric regarding Mexicans and immigrants were divisive and hurtful, Escobar said on Twitter, and she hoped to broach the subject with him during the call.
"My message would've been that he needs to understand that his words are powerful and have consequences," Escobar tweeted. "Using racist language to describe Mexicans, immigrants, and other minorities dehumanize us. Those words inflame others."
Escobar noted what some people claimed to be similarities between Trump's anti-immigration rhetoric and the El Paso gunman's manifesto, which is currently being investigated by the FBI. The gunman is still alive and is being charged with capital murder.
"I have publicly said [Trump] has a responsibility to acknowledge the power of his words, apologize for them, and take them back because they are still hanging over us," Escobar tweeted. "I asked for a call so I could say this to him over the phone and ask for a dialogue that could lead to healing."
Escobar said she was told Trump was "too busy" to have the discussion, prompting her refusal "to be an accessory" and to reject the invitation to join his Wednesday visit. Instead of accompanying Trump, Escobar will be "spending time with fellow El Pasoans who are dealing with the pain and horror left in the wake of this act of domestic terrorism fueled by hate and racism."
Trump's scheduled visit to El Paso has sparked controversy, and protests are expected to be held. Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke, who previously represented the congressional district, said Trump "helped create the hatred that made Saturday's tragedy possible" and advised that he "should not come."
"We do not need more division. We need to heal," O'Rourke tweeted. "He has no place here."
Other political figures welcomed Trump's visit, including Republican El Paso mayor Dee Margo. Margo, whose formally disagreed with Trump's view on US-Mexico relations, said it was his "formal duty" to welcome the president "in an official capacity."