Fox News host Jesse Watters on Tuesday pushed back on the notion that President Trump Donald John TrumpBiden says voters should choose who nominates Supreme Court justice Trump, Biden will not shake hands at first debate due to COVID-19 Pelosi: Trump Supreme Court pick 'threatens' Affordable Care Act MORE's rhetoric has contributed to a toxic environment inciting violence following the shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue over the weekend that left 11 people dead.

Watters argued during a segment discussing the Pittsburgh shooting on Fox News that when police officers were shot during former President Obama's tenure, "no one blamed Barack Obama Barack Hussein ObamaBiden says voters should choose who nominates Supreme Court justice Senate GOP set to vote on Trump's Supreme Court pick before election In a season of bad ideas, one stands out MORE for his anti-police rhetoric."

"You have to say there's concern that President Trump's rhetoric creates this environment. And so people are getting into a political game of saying, 'Who's responsible?' He's not responsible, but his rhetoric definitely is an issue in America at this time," the Fox host said.

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Watters argued that members of the media at the time were "very prudent and responsible" in not assigning responsibility to Obama during his tenure when officers were killed in New York and Dallas during his second term.

"I just want to say one thing to [co-host] Juan [Williams]. When there was shootings of police officers, and officers in this country were executed in New York City and in Texas during the Obama administration, no one blamed Barack Obama for his anti-police rhetoric, or supporting Black Lives Matter,” Watters said.

“No one linked him to that. No one said his rhetoric contributed to an atmosphere where cops were killed," he added. "We were all very prudent and responsible.”

"Yet, any time there's any act of violence in this country, Donald Trump's name is inserted by his political opponents, and it's wrong."

Some conservatives made the argument that Obama was "anti-police" during his presidency, a claim the White House strongly pushed back on at the time.

In July 2016, Obama met with prominent leaders of Black Lives Matter at the White House along with law enforcement officials, civil rights leaders and local politicians following the killing of five police officers by sniper Micah Xavier Johnson in Dallas on July 7, 2016.



Williams on Tuesday responded to Watters by saying that his argument was "not analogous."



"Jesse, you're a good guy. That's not analogous. That's not right," Williams replied. "It's not the same as him saying 'I think there's a problem with police abuse in this country.' "



President Trump and first lady Melania Trump Melania TrumpWatchdog confirms State Dept. canceled award for journalist who criticized Trump Ginsburg becomes the first woman to lie in state in the Capitol Rabbi memorializes Ginsburg: Her dissents were 'blueprints for the future' MORE visited Pittsburgh on Tuesday afternoon to pay respects to the victims of the shooting and visit with officers in the hospital who were wounded during the massacre on Saturday.