
Donald Trump on Wednesday blasted two Democratic officials who held a press conference after his visit to the Dayton, Ohio, hospital treating victims of Sunday's mass shooting, accusing them of being 'dishonest' and saying: 'They shouldn't be politicking today.'

While Trump did not fully spell out his grievance, one of his closest aides did, tweeting that it was 'disgusting' that Ohio senator Sherrod Brown and Dayton mayor Nan Whaley didn't acknowledge the 'rock star treatment' the president received while visiting survivors of Sunday morning's mass shooting.

The two had given a press conference directly after touring Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton with the president to meet survivors, first responders and medical staff, and after saying that the president had been right to comfort people, had said they pressed him on gun control.

But Trump unleashed first on Twitter then in person after seeing the press conference on live television.

First he tweeted from Air Force One that the two were 'totally misrepresenting' what had happened in the hospital.

Then he spoke in El Paso, Texas, on the second leg of his trip, and unleashed further, saying first: 'We just left Ohio.

'The love, the respect for the office of the presidency, I wish you could have been in there to see it,' he said to reporters - who the White House had banned from witnessing his visit because it was 'not a photo opportunity.'

He said that Brown and Whaley had asked to tour the hospital with him, and had told people that they 'couldn't believe' what they saw. 'The entire hospital was so proud of the job they did,' he said.

Trump then said: 'I turned on the television and there they were saying "oh I don't know if it was appropriate for the president to be there," etc etc, you know, the same old line.

'They're very dishonest people and that's probably why he got I think maybe zero per cent and failed as a presidential candidate.'

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump met with survivors, families, hospital staff, and first responders on Wednesday at Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, Ohio, four days after a mass-shooting

The White House distributed photos of the hospital room visits, which reporters were not permitted to see; there is no indication that the president and first lady met with family members of those who were killed in Saturday's massacre

The president made no public remarks in Ohio, where the community was mourning the nine victims of a gunman, but a top adviser to the president insisted he was ' treated like a Rock Star inside the hospital'

'They all loved seeing their great President!' social media director Dan Scavino tweeted after Dayton's mayor and Ohio's Democratic senator attacked Trump minutes after his departure at a press conference

A hospital staffer takes a selfie with the president in this photo that was distributed by the White House social media director on Twitter

Trump said in tweets of his own that he he had a great visit and Ohio's Democratic senator and Dayton's mayor were maligning him and misrepresenting his visit

Ohio Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown says he told Trump in front of 20 - 40 police officers that he could honor their service by signing on to gun control legislation. Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley said she advocated for a ban on the AR-15 pistol the Dayton shooter used

First response: The president posed for pictures with members of (left) the military, paramdeics and Dayton City Fire Department

His White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham also told DailyMail.com that Brown and Whaley intentionally exaggerated the degree to which they claimed they pressed Trump for action on gun control when they spoke after taking part in his visit to the hospital.

'The two of them are playing up what little conversation they had, saying they made comments or demands and that's just not true,' Grisham said in an email.

'The President allowed them to be part of the entire visit, which was very gracious of him. Their little press conference was clearly premeditated and not in the best interest of anyone but themselves.'

'It's a disservice to this country and I have a real problem with that,' she said.

Trump himself tweeted a short video that played over a sentimental soundtrack, showing him and first lady Melania Trump posing for photos with doctors and nurses and comforting hospital staff. 'Have you ever seen anything like this?' he asks one group. Others, including a group of law enforcement officers, are shown greeting the first couple warmly.

The video ends with a message: 'America stands with Ohio!'

The president also tweeted once he reached El Paso, Texas, the site of Saturday's first gun massacre, that he had watched Brown and Whaley 'misrepresenting what took place inside of the hospital.'

President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump walk from Marine One after arriving on the South Lawn of the White House

President Trump and the First Lady traveled to Dayton and El Paso to meet with shooting first responders, families and victims

Trump tweeted a short video that played over a sentimental soundtrack, showing him and first lady Melania Trump posing for photos with doctors and nurses and comforting hospital staff

But Brown had been complimentary toward the president, acknowledging the warm welcome he received and his efforts to play the role of comforter-in-chief.

Brown told reporters that the president and first lady Melania Trump were 'received well by the patients as you'd expect. They're hurting.'

'Well, he was comforting, and he did the right things, and Melania did the right things,' the senator continued. 'And it's his job in part to comfort people. I'm glad he did it in those closed-door hospital rooms.'

Fox News Channel, which plays nonstop aboard Air Force One, broadcast those positive comments while Trump was en route to El Paso.

But Brown also discussed why he had initially balked at meeting with the president in Dayton, saying that 'I didn't want in any way to encourage the president's racist talk, divisive talk.'

Brown added later that he was 'very concerned about a president that divides in his rhetoric and plays to race in his rhetoric and is racist.'

Trump jabbed Brown in his tweet as a 'failed Presidential Candidate (0%).' The senator decided not to run in March after polls showed he would struggle in a packed Democratic field.

Grisham told CNN that the press conference was 'disgusting' and tweeted that it was 'genuinely sad to see them immediately hold such a dishonest press conference in the name of partisan politics.'

The president launched a stinging attack on Ohio senator Sherrod Brown and Dayton mayor Nan Whaley, rebuking them for a press conference they gave on his visit to a Dayton hospital

He tweeted from Air Force One that the two were 'totally misrepresenting' what had happened in the hospital, before speaking to reporters

Director of Oval Office Operations Dan Scavino tweeted that Brown and Whaley were 'LYING & completely mischaracterizing what took place w/ the President's visit to Miami Valley Hospital.'

'They are disgraceful politicians, doing nothing but politicizing a mass shooting, at every turn they can. The President was treated like a Rock Star inside the hospital, which was all caught on video. They all loved seeing their great President!'

Scavino, who doubles as the president's social media guru, attached four photos of the president apparently enjoying a hero's welcome from doctors and nurses.

He cited '[s]ome extremely powerful moments throughout the entire visit, with so much enthusiasm and love, contrary to what the Trump Hating Dems would ever share or say.'

Trump retweeted that comment along with the photos.

Grisham told reporters aboard Air Force One as it flew to Texas that 'there was no conversation about gun control' while he was at the hospital.

But Brown and Whaley both said they had pressed Trump about the hot-button topic on the tarmac when he arrived.

Another attack: Trump renewed hostilities with Sherrod Brown and Nan Whaley when he spoke in El Paso on the second leg of his trip to the cities hit by mass shootings, accusing them of being 'very dishonest' people

Edited out: The video from the White House showed one brief glimpse of Sherrod Brown (right) and Nan Whaley, who Trump attacked afterwards on Twitter, with his aide saying they hadn't acknowledged his 'rock star' welcome. Neither featured in the still photographs issued by the White House, which had refused to allow reporters and photographers attend the visit

'Both of us spoke with the president right when he got off Air Force One. Both the mayor and I asked the president to call on Sen. McConnell to bring the Senate back in session this week, to tell the Senate that he wants the background checks bill that has already passed the House,' Brown said.

'I asked the president to promise to me and the American people that he will sign that bill ... [he] only said that he would get things done.

Whaley said she had a brief moment with Trump in which she told him, 'Mr. President, the city of Dayton and the people of Dayton really are looking forward to some action. That's what you can do to help us, is to get some action on common-sense gun legislation.'

Brown said that Trump met with police officers in a conference room at the hospital and told them he wants to honor first responders with an award. But the senator claimed that he told Trump in front of the group of more than 20 people that he should reward them with firearm access reforms.

'I said,'Respectfully, Mr. President,' in a group of 20, 30, 40 people, 'Respectfully, the most important thing you can do for these police officers is take these assault weapons off the streets, so they don't have to go up against those assault weapons when they need to take down a shooter, when they need to make an arrest,' ' Brown says he told him.

Brown had acknowledged at his presser that Trump was well-received by patientr after he accused the president of 'racist rhetoric' and lectured him on gun violence prevention.

'He was comforting, and he did the right things, and Melania did the right things, and it's his job in part to comfort people. I'm glad he did it those folks.'

'rock star' reception: This was the mood in the hospital treating the survivors of the Dayton massacre which the White House boasted about, with doctors and nurses posing for pictures with the president and first lady

Concern: None of the people Donald Trump spoke to were named by the White House, who banned photographers and reporters then issued their own images. The president and first lady were accompanied by Ohio Republican senator Rob Portman (left) as they toured the hospital

First responders: Members of Dayton Police Department presented Trump with the department's badge and shield

Happy to be here: Donald Trump tweeted after meeting victims and first responders: 'The people I met today in Dayton are the finest anywhere!'

Group photo: Hospital staff posed for pictures with the first couple during their tour of the Miami Valley Hospital where victims were treated after Sunday's massacre

Commander in chief: A member of hospital staff posed for a selfie with the president whose acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney was to the right

Say cheese:A group of hospital staff at Miami Valley Hospital were in a group selfie with the president

Thanks for coming: One of the injured shook hands with the president from his hospital chair

Reaching out: THis injured man used his left hand to shake hands with the president, while his wounded right arm recovers

Family affair: This victim, his right arm in a sling and plaster, smiled with his family as they chatted to the president

Thumbs up for the doctors: A group of medical staff posed with the president and the first lady as the couple toured the hospital

Thanks: Melania Trump thanked paramedics who were on the scene to help in the aftermath of the massacre early Sunday morning

Meet the first family: Melania Trump spoke to an unnamed young victim in the hospital with (from left) her husband the president; Mike DeWine, Ohio's governor; and Rob Portman, the junior senator from Ohio who is Republican

Hug: The young victim was able to sit up in her hospital bed to pose with the president and first lady

Injuries: The first couple's visit to Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton gives the first insight into how survivors are coping

Salute: An Army officer greeted the commander-in-chief as he thanked first responders. Dayton is home to Wright-Patterson Air Force base

Ready for your close-up: Hospital staff took selfies with Donald Trump as he visited Dayton in the wake of Sunday morning's massacre

First families: Two members of hospital staff posed for a photograph with the president and Ohio's first family - governor Mike DeWine and his wife Francess

Greetings: Melania Trump surprised some patients in the hospital as she and Donald Trump toured it

Thanks for your work: One member of hospital staff was greeted by Melania and Donald Trump and Ohio governor Mike DeWine

Smile time: Hospital staff were keen to get a selfie with the president as he walked the corridors with the first lady

ALREADY GONE: The president and first lady did not visit the shooting site in the Oregon District of Dayton. They visited with shooting victims behind closed doors for two hours before leaving the city for El Paso

A demonstrator mocks Trump's claim in a national address that the shooting took place in Toledo. It was Dayton that was hit

Demonstrators gather to protest the arrival of President Donald Trump outside Miami Valley Hospital after a mass shooting that occurred in the area early Sunday morning. A Trump blip looms in the background

Protesters held up signs demanding that Trump take action to end gun violence and protect kids from mass shooters

Demonstrators also gathered outside of the Dayton City Hall. Nine people were killed and another 27 injured when a gunman identified as 24-year-old Connor Betts opened fire with a AR-15 style rifle in a popular entertainment district

Trump face protests at Miami Valley Hospital

Supporters of Trump scream at counter-protesters near the scene of Sunday morning's mass shooting in Dayton, Ohio

Demonstrators protest the visit of US President Donald Trump to the site of the mass shooting in Dayton, Ohio, on August 7. Nine people were killed on August 4 in the city's popular Oregon District

White House officials said the Trumps had 'truly special moments' with the patients they met and shared 'very powerful moments' with them and Grisham said that Trump told one of the families: 'You had God watching. I want you to know we're with you all the way.'

Trump's visit was intended to thank first responders to the mass shooting and comfort the bereaved and victims. It was unclear whether he met with any of the families of the dead, however. He left Ohio without setting foot in the entertainment sector that the shooter targeted.

'I think it was a good decision for him not to stop in the Oregon District,' Whaley said at a news conference after Trump left, mentioning the lingering 'anger and agitation' in the neighborhood. 'I think a lot of people that own businesses in that district aren't interested in the president being there. And you know, a lot of the time his talk can be very divisive, and that's the last thing we need in Dayton.'

Trump's next El Paso with Melania, where former local congressman turned presidential hopeful Beto O'Rourke had told him to 'stay away,' saying his 'racist' rhetoric inflamed the killer.

Before he left the White House, Trump hit out at what he claimed was an attempt to ignore 24-year-old Betts' left-wing views, saying: 'He was a fan of Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, nothing to do with Trump, but nobody ever mentions that.'

Speaking on the South Lawn to reporters, the president also appeared to give his backing to tougher background checks before people can buy guns and suggested he would force Republicans to follow his lead.

The party's senators had appeared to be getting behind a more limited 'red flags' law, which would keep guns from dangerous people but Trump said: 'I'm looking to do background checks. I think background checks are important.'

The trip to Dayton and El Paso represents a major test of Trump's public determination to bring unity in the wake of the mass shootings.

Democrats have accused his rhetoric on immigration of being part of the reason for the rise of white supremacist domestic terrorism and pointed to similarities between the 'manifesto' left by Walmart murderer Patrick Crusius, which spoke of 'invasion' by Hispanics, and the president's own speeches.

TEPID GREETING: At the airport, Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley shook the president's hand on the tarmac at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base

Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown - a Democrat who said he wouldn't meet with Trump over 'racist rhetoric' but apparently changed his mind - was also there to greet him

Whaley was also critical of Trump, saying his post-shooting remarks that barely mentioned firearms were 'painful' and 'disappointing, but she'd welcome him to her city, anyway

Donald Trump and First Lady Melania touched down in Dayton Wednesday to mourn the nine victims of Connor Betts – after the president unleashed on 'fake news,' claiming the murderer's left-wing sympathies were being ignored

At the airport, Whaley shook the president's hand on the tarmac alongside Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown - a Democrat who said he wouldn't meet with Trump over 'racist rhetoric' but apparently changed his mind.

Whaley was also critical of Trump, saying his post-shooting remarks that barely mentioned firearms were 'painful' and 'disappointing, but she'd meet with him in Ohio, anyway. The Democrat said she hoped Trump's trip would 'add value' to Dayton and he'd clarify his position on gun control.

She said at a news conference that she didn't have an opportunity to speak to him about his tone in the brief time together but she told him that the AR-15 the killer used shouldn't be legal.

'I think he heard me. I don't know if he will take action. I'm hoping for the people of Dayton that he does,' she said.

Ahead of his Wednesday trip he said he supported stricter background checks for the mentally ill and claimed Dayton mass shooter 'supported' the left-wing politicians who are competing for the presidency while deflecting from charges that his own, fiery rhetoric encouraged an El Paso mass murderer.

'If you look at Dayton that was a person who supported, I guess you would say, Bernie Sanders I understood, Antifa I understood, Elizabeth Warren I understood. Had nothing to do with President Trump,' he argued on the South Lawn of the White House as he prepared to leave for the Ohio city.

Trump claimed that Sanders, Warren and other unnamed Democrats who are 'low in the polls' were trying to score political points by calling him a racist and associating him with mentally-ill shooters.

'These are people that are looking for political gain. I don't think they're getting it, and as much as possible I've tried to stay out of that,' he claimed seconds after he levied the searing attack in which he'd bashed Warren and Sanders by name.

He said minutes later, 'I would like to stay out of the political fray. As I was saying and just came out, the Dayton situation, he was a fan of ANITFA. He was a fan of Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. Nothing to do with Trump, but nobody ever mentions that. No, I don't blame Elizabeth Warren and I don't blame Bernie Sanders in the case of Ohio.'

Solidarity show: Donald Trump took off for Dayton, Ohio, where he will mourn the dead with first lady Melania before heading to El Paso, Texas

Lashing out: Donald Trump spoke on the South Lawn of the White House before taking off for Dayton, saying that shooter Connor Betts' support for 'Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren' was being ignored

Grievance: 'He was a fan of Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. Nothing to do with Trump, but nobody ever mentions that. No, I don't blame Elizabeth Warren and I don't blame Bernie Sanders in the case of Ohio,' Trump said before heading to Dayton, Ohio

First couple: Donald and Melania Trump left the White House on Marine One for trips to the two cities hit by mass shootings this weekend

Donald Trump, ahead of his trip to Dayton, Ohio, tried to link the mass shooter to liberal presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren

A Twitter account believed to be owned by Connor Betts - the suspect in Sunday's shooting - had supportive messages for Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders but no motive has been established

A suspected killer in El Paso echoed claims that Trump has made about illegal immigrants and Democrats had attacked the Republican president for waiting too long to condemn him as a white nationalist.

Trump denied Wednesday that he was inspiring killers, however, saying to reporters, 'I think my rhetoric is a very, it brings people together. Our country is doing incredibly well.'

'I am concerned about the rise of any group of hate. I don't like it. Any group of hate, whether it's white supremacy, whether it's any other kind of supremacy, whether it's Antifa, whether it's any group of hate, I am very concerned about it and I'll do something about it,' he said after a reporter asked him about white nationalism.

Trump later slapped Joe Biden, who'd compared him segregationist George Wallace, as 'incompetent' and having lost his mental edge.

'Well, you know Joe is a pretty incompetent guy. I've watched his interviews, I've watched what he said and how he said it, and I wouldn't have rated him very high in the first place, but Joe Biden has truly lost his fastball, that I can tell you,' he said of the Democrat, who's a mere three years older than him.

The president also took a slap at Whaley, as he prepared to visit her city.

Whaley had disapproved of a national address Trump delivered, in which he'd bungled the name of her grieving Ohio city. He said the shooting had taken place in Toledo and not Dayton as he concluded his statement.

'I'm disappointed with his remarks. He mentioned gun issues one time. I think watching the president over the last few years on the issue of guns, I'm not sure he knows what he believes,' Whaley said.

Asked about the tone of his comments, and whether he among the people that Texas Sen. Ted Cruz said need to be more sensitive, he said, 'Well, I do agree but I think we have toned it down. We've been getting hit left and right from everybody.

'Many of the people, I don't know, a couple of people from Texas, political people from Texas that aren't doing very well. I guess somebody said the mayor, I had one very nice conversation with the mayor of Dayton, could not have been nicer. And then she goes and says 'I tried to call.'

He said, 'I spoke to her, and I didn't receive any call. So they're trying to make political points.'

A photo of victim Jorge Calvillo GarcÃ­a, a Mexican national, rests on flowers at a makeshift memorial honoring victims outside Walmart, near the scene of a mass shooting which left at least 22 people dead, in El Paso, Texas

Candles are lit at a makeshift memorial honoring on Aug. 7 victims outside Walmart, near the scene of a mass shooting which left at least 22 people dead

Trump said he's in talks with Capitol Hill leadership to craft legislation that would curb future attacks, bringing up a desire to pass stricter background checks for gun sales - a proposal he's yo-yo'd on repeatedly since he took office.

'I'm looking to do background checks. I think background checks are important. I don't want to put guns into the hands of mentally unstable people or people with rage or hate, sick people. I don't want to -- I'm all in favor of it,' he said.

The president said he'd be willing to haul lawmakers back to Washington for an emergency session, if he thought the two sides were close to reaching an agreement.

'Well, we're going to see where we are. We're dealing with leadership right now. And, you know, you have two sides that are very different on this issue, and, let's say, all good people,' he said. 'But two sides that are very different. If we get close, I will bring them back. But it has to be -- you know, we have to see where we are with leadership.'

He added, 'And I think we can bring up background checks like we've never had before. I think both Republican and Democrat are getting close to a bill on -- they're doing something on background checks.'

He said he could not see a bill banning assault rifles, a type of high-capacity firearms, passing Congress, citing public polling on the topic.

'I can tell you that there is no political appetite for that at this moment. If you look at the -- you could speak, you could do your own polling. And there's no political appetite, probably, from the standpoint of legislature,' he said.

An October 2018 Gallup poll showed more people against an assault rifle ban - 57 per cent - than were for it - 40 per cent - matching a pattern of surveys over the last decade showing most Americans want to protect their access to the firearm.

The same survey found that six in 10 Americans believe that Congress pass additional gun control measures, although further questioning reveals a schism on what the public believes should be in prospective legislation.

Trump said Wednesday that a ban on large-capacity magazines was unlikely to make it through Congress.

'I mean, I can only do what I can do,' he said. 'I think there's a great appetite to do something with regard to making sure that mentally unstable, seriously ill people aren't carrying guns. And I've never seen the appetite as strong as it is now. I have not seen it with regard to certain types of weapons,' he added.

The evening before, he'd drilled into Robert 'Beto' O'Rourke, the Texas politician who called him a racist, on the eve of a visit to the El Paso native's hometown, suggesting the Democrat made up his nickname to win votes from Hispanics.

In the late-night tweet, the president boasted that he'd 'trounced' the low-polling 2020 presidential candidate the last time they were on a ballot together and told him to 'be quiet.'

'Beto (phony name to indicate Hispanic heritage) O'Rourke, who is embarrassed by my last visit to the Great State of Texas, where I trounced him, and is now even more embarrassed by polling at 1% in the Democrat Primary, should respect the victims & law enforcement - & be quiet!'' the president write.

O'Rourke slapped back, saying, '22 people in my hometown are dead after an act of terror inspired by your racism. El Paso will not be quiet and neither will I.'

One of the first Democratic presidential candidates to speak out against Trump after the shootings, O'Rourke on Sunday said his anti-illegal immigrant rhetoric was inspiring hateful acts, like the massacre in El Paso the day before.

'We have a problem with white nationalist terrorism in the United States of America today,' O'Rourke said. 'These are white men motivated by the kind of fear that this president traffics.'

He added, 'So again, let's be very clear about what is causing this and what the president is: he is an open, avowed racist and is encouraging more racism in this country.'

Trump also touted those ties in a tweet ahead of his visit to the city to comfort victims, citing a report from One America News Network, a right-wing TV station.

''The Dayton, Ohio, shooter had a history of supporting political figures like Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and ANTIFA.' @OANN I hope other news outlets will report this as opposed to Fake News. Thank you!,' the president wrote.

The welcome Trump will get in the two cities where a total of 31 people died was unclear.

The Democratic mayor of Dayton said she would meet him because of the office he holds, while in El Paso, O'Rourke, told Trump to stay away. Whaley and Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown were on the tarmac to greet Trump.

Police on both cities are already stretched dealing with the aftermath of the shootings, and in the case of El Paso, a full criminal investigation into the shooter, Patrick Crusius, who surrendered after his murder spree.

No motive has been established behind the shooting in Dayton, unlike Friday's incident in El Paso, Texas, where the suspect left behind a 2,300-word manifesto that raged about the 'Hispanic invasion of Texas,' posted online minutes before the shooting began on Saturday at a Wal-Mart in the Southern border city.

White House officials also pushed the ties between Betts and liberals as they defended the president from Democrats' charges it was his rhetoric that inflamed racial tensions in the country.

'We do not blame, nor do we even dream of blaming Elizabeth Warren for the shooter in Ohio who wanted to vote for her,' White House deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley said on Fox News Tuesday, questioning why Trump was being criticized.

'I'm hopping mad this morning because I see very little scant coverage of the fact that the Dayton shooter has been confirmed as having a Twitter feed that was supportive of Antifa, that was supportive of Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders,' White House counselor Kellyanne Conway said on Fox News Tuesday morning.

Warren's campaign called the attempt to link Betts to her campaign a distraction.

'There is absolutely no place for violence in our politics and Elizabeth and our campaign condemn it in the strongest possible terms,' Warren campaign spokesperson Kristen Orthman said in a statement to The Hill on Tuesday.

'Leaders have a responsibility to speak out and to not incite violence. But let's be clear – there is a direct line between the president's rhetoric and the stated motivations of the El Paso shooter.

'This is an attempt to distract from the fact that Trump's rhetoric is inciting violence as extremist-related murders have spiked 35 percent from 2017 to 2018,' she added.

Betts, who was shot and killed by police, was armed with a .223-caliber 'long gun,' high-capacity magazines, and extra ammunition in Sunday's mass shooting.

The attack lasted less than a minute outside a bar in a popular neighborhood in the city.

Authorities have named no motive behind suspect Connor Betts

Chilling footage shows Ohio gunman inside Blind Bob's bar before he opened fire and killed nine people including his sister outside Ned Peppers Bar on Saturday night

His social media posts often showed support for Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren. In one tweet (above) he said he would vote for Warren over Kamala Harris because the latter 'is a cop'

Before being removed, the account's bio read: 'he/him / anime fan / metalhead / leftist / I'm going to hell and I'm not coming back'

Last tweet: The account has now been suspended but on Saturday retweeted a message calling on the 'Joe Biden generation' to 'hurry up and die'

Democrat: Shortly before the 2018 midterm elections the account urged its followers to 'vote blue' to defeat Republican candidates

Support: The account had also retweeted Vermont Senator and leftist presidential candidate Bernie Sanders

Former classmates of Betts said he kept a 'hit list' of people he wanted to kill or rape.

Authorities are investigating a motive.

Trump, meanwhile, has come under attack from Democrats, who say his anti-immigrant language on the stump has sparked a rise in white supremacy.

'In both clear language and in code, this president has fanned the flames of white supremacy in this nation,' Joe Biden said at a campaign event in Iowa on Wednesday, according to excerpts released from his campaign.

Beto O'Rourke, who represented El Paso in Congress, said America under Trump was like Nazi Germany.

'The only modern western Democracy that I can think of that said anything close to this is the Third Reich, Nazi Germany,' he said Monday on MSNBC's 'Morning Joe.'

Joe Biden will accuse the president of fanning 'the flames of white supremacy in this nation' in a speech in Iowa on Wednesday

Whaley said she would tell Trump directly that he has been unhelpful in responding to the two mass shootings.

'He probably will hear it from you all, better than he hears it from me,' she said. 'I mean, yesterday, his comments weren't very helpful to the issue around guns.'

Trump on Monday blamed the internet, social media, computer games and 'mental illness' for the two mass shootings that killed 31 people over the weekend.

'Mental illness and hatred pulls the trigger, not the gun,' he said in a Diplomatic Reception Room address.

'I almost got a good headline!' President Trump reacts after liberal outrage led New York Times to CHANGE its front-page headline that praised his 'unity message' after shootings

President Donald Trump complained Wednesday after The New York Times changed a positive Page One headline about Monday's speech following a pair of mass-shootings.

The switch was made to accommodate outraged reporters and Twitter pundits who objected to its cast of Trump's speech in a flattering light.

''Trump Urges Unity Vs. Racism,' was the correct description in the first headline by the Failing New York Times, but it was quickly changed to, 'Assailing Hate But Not Guns,' after the Radical Left Democrats went absolutely CRAZY!' the president tweeted.

'Fake News - That's what we're up against,' he jabbed, adding: 'After 3 years I almost got a good headline from the Times!'

‹ Slide me › The two versions of Tuesday's New York Times front page are shown here, with the headline changing to reflect outrage amont liberal partisans on Twitter and reporters in the paper's newsroom

Times Executive Editor Dean Baquet told the influential Columbia Journalism Review that the original headline wasn't an effort to arrive at a result that 'mollified Donald Trump.'

He also distanced himself from the decision to run it in the paper's first print edition. The second edition carried the changed headline.

The first was factually accurate and reflected the story's opening.

The president said Monday that Americans should 'set destructive partisanship aside' find 'the courage to answer hatred with unity, devotion, and love.'

Trump also quoted longtime former Bill Clinton pollster Mark Penn in a tweet Wednesday morning, saying: 'This is an astounding development in journalism. I've never seen it happen before, I've just never seen anything like this! Is that journalism today? I don't think so.'

Penn appeared Tuesday night on Fox News Channel host Tucker Carlson's program, which Trump watches regularly.

'It took The New York Times, a daily newspaper published in New York City, less than a day to end a bold new experiment yesterday running an objective headline,' Carlson said.

Trump was responding in Monday's speech to Saturday's shootings in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio, which left 41 people dead.

He has drawn unusually intense criticism among liberal partisans for his past rhetoric condemning Central American drug gangsters and other illegal immigrants.

Sunday's first shooter was a white supremacist who believed he was exacting vengeance against Mexicans for an 'invasion' of Texas, according to a four-page manifesto he published before his killing spree.

The Dayton gunman, however, appeared to have been a political liberal, expressing admiration for Warren and advocating for a universal taxpayer-funded minimum income for all Americans.



