Authorities are investigating a white nationalist “manifesto” posted on the far-right message board 8chan in connection with the suspect in Saturday’s mass shooting in the Texas border city of El Paso, which left 22 people dead.

The hate-filled document, posted minutes before the attack took place, is believed to have been written by the suspect, and primarily detailed his hatred for immigrants, saying the attack is a “response to the Hispanic invasion of Texas”.

El Paso, a diverse city in the far western part of the state, has a population that is 80% Hispanic. Six of those killed in the attack were Mexican.

The manifesto’s author said their anger toward immigrants predates Donald Trump’s presidency, but the language used bears much similarity with the president’s vocabulary.

“The president’s open racism is an invitation to violence. The writing has been on the wall since his maiden speech coming down the escalator calling immigrants ‘rapists and criminals’,” the Democratic 2020 presidential candidate and former El Paso congressman Beto O’Rourke said. “The action that follows cannot surprise us.”

A search through Trump’s public tweets and speeches reveal similarities between the language the suspect used and what Trump has been saying for years.

‘Invasion’

The manifesto rails against Hispanic immigrants “invading” the US, claiming they are taking Americans’ jobs and decreasing quality of life.

“I am simply defending my country from cultural and ethnic replacement brought on by an invasion,” the author wrote.

Trump has repeatedly used the term “invasion” about the number of migrants coming from Central America to the United States to seek asylum. The president first ramped up his use of the term with the arrival of the migrant caravan in November 2018.

“The US is ill-prepared for this invasion and will not stand for it. They are causing crime and big problems in Mexico. Go home!” Trump tweeted on 18 November.

The Mayor of Tijuana, Mexico, just stated that “the City is ill-prepared to handle this many migrants, the backlog could last 6 months.” Likewise, the U.S. is ill-prepared for this invasion, and will not stand for it. They are causing crime and big problems in Mexico. Go home! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 18, 2018

He consistently used the term on Twitter over the past several months, most recently on 24 June. “We cannot allow all of these people to invade our country,” he wrote.

Offline, the president has used the word in a number of speeches. At a press conference in November, he said “some people call it an ‘invasion’. It’s like an invasion. They have violently overrun the Mexican border.”

When Trump declared a national emergency at the southern border in February, he said: “We’re going to confront the national security crisis on our border and we’re going to do it one way or the other because we have to do it. It’s an invasion.”

Democrats and ‘open borders’

Much of the document centered on his belief that the Democrats are trying to “own America”. It reads: “They intend to use open borders, free healthcare for illegals, citizenship and more to enact a political coup by importing and then legalizing millions of new voters.”

His language mirrors Trump’s. The president has used the term “open borders” on Twitter 57 times to falsely describe Democrats’ stance on immigration. Though Democrats’ opinions on border security policy vary widely, mainstream opinion does not include opening borders.

“Democrats don’t care about Border Security. They refuse to give votes necessary to fix the Loopholes and Asylum. Would be so easy! They want Open Borders, which means CRIME, CRIME, CRIME!” Trump tweeted on 27 July, a week before the shooting took place.

Earlier in July, Trump quoted his ally South Carolina senator Lindsey Graham’s rant against four minority congresswomen – “the Squad” – on Fox & Friends.

“What does it mean for America to have free Healthcare for Illegal Immigrants, no criminalization of coming into our country,” Graham said. “Their policies will destroy our country!”

A Blue Wave means Crime and Open Borders. A Red Wave means Safety and Strength! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 21, 2018

In August of last year, in the midst of the 2018 midterms Trump, tweeted: “A blue wave means crime and open borders. A red wave means safety and strength.”

‘Fake news’

The manifesto said “the media will probably call me a white supremacist anyway and blame Trump’s rhetoric. The media is infamous for fake news.”

While Trump did not create the term “fake news” – the term “Lügenpresse” or “lying press” was used by Hitler and the Nazis in the 1930s – he helped the term enter the mainstream. According to the website Trump Twitter Archive, which has a collection of every single Trump tweet, the president has used the term 477 times on the platform.

Even in the aftermath of the Texas shooting, Trump pointed fingers at the press for the violence. “Fake News has contributed greatly to the anger and rage that has built up over many years,” he tweeted on Monday morning. “News coverage has got to start being fair, balanced and unbiased, or these terrible problems will only get worse!”