Democratic presidential candidate Julian Castro Julian CastroSanders says Democrats should have given more speaking time to progressives Castro says DNC should have put more Latino speakers on stage from beginning Jill Biden defends husband's cognitive ability from Trump attacks: 'It's ridiculous' MORE on Sunday said President Trump Donald John TrumpSteele Dossier sub-source was subject of FBI counterintelligence probe Pelosi slams Trump executive order on pre-existing conditions: It 'isn't worth the paper it's signed on' Trump 'no longer angry' at Romney because of Supreme Court stance MORE created the environment that led to the shooting in El Paso, Texas, that killed 20 people and left two dozen more wounded.

"There's one person that's directly responsible for the shooting in El Paso and that's the shooter. At the same time, as our national leader, you have a role to play in either fanning the flames of division or trying to bring Americans of different backgrounds together," the former San Antonio, Texas mayor said on ABC's "This Week."

"Most presidents have chosen to bring people together," he added. "This president very early on made the choice to divide people for his own political benefit and these are some of the consequences we're seeing of that."

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The El Paso Walmart that was targeted was in a heavily Hispanic American community and was also a destination for many who cross the border from Mexico to go shopping. A manifesto reportedly posted online by the shooter, who was not from El Paso, was filled with racist and hate-filled speech about immigration in America and in Texas in particular.

Castro said on Sunday that the shooting "certainly looks like a hate crime."

Julian Castro says the shooter is "responsible directly for that shooting in El Paso," but adds that President Trump "as our national leader," has "a role to play in either fanning the flames of division or trying to bring Americans ... together" https://t.co/dXJdrsFMAg pic.twitter.com/QwZW5kn1ND — This Week (@ThisWeekABC) August 4, 2019

Just hours after the shooting in El Paso, at least nine people were killed in a shooting in Dayton, Ohio.

Castro also called for stronger gun laws, pointing out that the Walmart shooting happened in a state with a strong gun culture and laws that allow guns in many public places.

"The shooter knew he was walking into a situation where a lot of folks there could be carrying a weapon," he said. "That didn't stop him. The answer is not more guns."