El Paso Mayor Dee Margo has been at odds with President Trump for quite some time. In recent months they've disagreed over how to solve the border crisis. But the two men are putting aside their differences for the sake of the El Paso community. On Saturday, a murderer gunned down 20 people at a Walmart. On Monday two more victims died from injuries. Shortly before the attack the suspect published a hateful manifesto which read, in part, that he wanted to stop a "Hispanic invasion of Texas."
At a Monday press conference, Margo noted that Trump had called him on Sunday, was "very gracious" and had offered his help. He then revealed the president's plans to visit.
"He's coming out here on Wednesday," the mayor announced.
Video: El Paso Mayor Margo announces that the Trump visit on Wednesday is being done "in the official capacity welcoming the office of the President of the United States which I consider as my formal duty" despite their differences pic.twitter.com/y9y81p3qG3
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) August 5, 2019
To get ahead of the media "spin," as he called it, Margo clarified that this is "the office of the mayor of El Paso in an official capacity welcoming the office of the president of the United States." It is his "formal duty."
Still, some reporters informed Margo of what he already knew - that some residents don't want to see the president. Again, the mayor encouraged citizens to forget their partisan differences and use this time to honor their fallen neighbors.
Asked if he understands why some El Paso residents might not want President Trump to visit the city after the shooting, El Paso Mayor Dee Margo says, "Yes, I understand, but we're not dealing with that right now. We're dealing with a tragedy." https://t.co/uGSRX2LRRW pic.twitter.com/jOt51zEWxe
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) August 5, 2019
El Paso was one of two mass shootings to take place this weekend. On Sunday morning, an assailant killed nine people in the Oregon District in Dayton, Ohio.
Trump responded to this weekend's violence from the White House this morning, where he condemned white supremacy, demanded the death penalty for mass shooters, and pledged to address mental illness.