happening now, breaking news in el paso. a city rocked but gun violence. some protesters say the president is not welcome after the brutal anti-latino attack. cnn is on the scene as the president's attempts to offer comfort stir controversy. frustration in dayton. the democratic officials vent about the inaction on gun control but say the president's hospital visit was well received. why did that prompt a new twitter tirade aboard air force one? blistering speech. joe biden draws a link between the president's hate-filled rhetoric and the el paso attack. the 2020 democrat accusing the commander-in-chief of fanning the flames of white supremacy. and raw racism.

that's how former obama ambassador susan rice is warning of dire consequences for the country and the world. she joins us live this hour. we want to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." >> this is cnn breaking news. >> we're following breaking news on president trump's visit to el paso, texas this hour, where the pain and anger are raw after one of the worst attacks on latinos in u.s. history. he's been visiting wounded shooting survivors at a local hospital just as he did earlier during his visit to dayton, ohio. the other city reeling from a gun massacre. as this president attempts to fill the traditional role of comforter in chief, he's been undermining his own call for unity by tweeting political attacks as he flew from one grief stricken community to another.

i'll get reaction from texas state representative cesar blanco who serves the el paso area and our correspondents is that analysts are also standing by, including cnn teams covering every leg of the president's trip. first, let's to go our chief white house correspondent, jim acosta. the president has been meeting with shooting victims behind closed doors. what's the latest? >> reporter: that's right. president trump just arrived in el paso, texas about, an hour ago to meet with law enforcement officials and some of the survivors from last weekend's massacre. he is at the hospital in el paso. we're waiting to find out whether he will come to the cameras. he did spend most of the day blasting on twitter while flying on air force one, even when the cities of el paso and dayton are yeefg. the president is airing his grievances. facing what is going to be a critical moment, president trump

arrived in el paso, texas to try to comfort another city traumatize bid a mass shooting. earlier he spent time in dayton, ohio, where he was pressed by lawmakers to do something about gun violence. >> we can't get anything done in the senate. mitch mcconnell and the president of the united states are in bed the gun lobby. >> reporter: the president was live tweeting a speech from joe biden as he ripped into mr. trump. >> how far from trump saying this is an invasion to the shooter in el paso saying, this attack is a response to hispanic invasion of texas. how far apart are those comments? >> the president tweeted he was watching and said biden was so boring. the white house insisted the president would play the role of consoler in chief but mr. trump sounded at times as though he was consoling himself snfrl my critic are political people. they're trying to make points. >> reporter: dodging questions that his incendiary rhetoric and

making the head scratching claim his language has somehow unified the country. >> i don't think my rhetoric has at all. i think it brings people together. >> reporter: mr. trump was pressed on the el paso gunman's manifesto which seemed to be inspired by the use of the word invasion regarding migrants. he side stepped that one, too. >> he used the same language. do you regret that? >> i think that illegal immigration, you're talking about illegal immigration, right? i think illegal immigration is a terrible thing for this country. i think you have to come in legally. >> reporter: the president then preceded to spread the blame around for the outbreak of violence under his watchful. >> i don't like it. i am wondering, whether it is any kind of white supremacy, antifa, any group. >> reporter: just as he did after charlottesville. >> and you had some very bad people in that group. but you also had people that

were very fine people. on both sides. >> reporter: despite striking a tone of unity earlier in the week, the president lashed out at presidential candidate beto o'rourke tweeting, beto, a phony name to indicate hispanic heritage, he should respect the victims and law enforcement. 22 people in my home town are dead after an action of terror inspired by your race i. el paso will not be quiet and neither will i. >> we will proudly stand together for one another and for this country and that's what i'm doing right now. >> reporter: after some elected leaders in el paso urged the president to stay in the white house. the city's main newspaper publish ad letter to mr. trump saying mr. trump, the hatred didn't come from our city. residents in el paso remember the president's visit to the city in february when he painted migrants as criminals. >> murders, murders, murders, killings, murders.

>> reporter: the president as well as white house officials over here and on the ground with the president and texas lashed out at ohio. senator sherrod brown and the mayor of dayton accusing the two elected leaders of, quote, disgusting behavior for not acknowledging the reception mr. trump received at a hospital in ohio. senator brown told reporters, the president was, quote, received well and did the right thing at the hospital in comforting the survivors there. as for whether the president will take action on gun violence, a source says mr. trump is looking at executive action at some point to tighten up the nation's background system. getting back to the white house criticizing senator brown and the mayor of dayton, it seems their beef was they were not praising the president enough. >> reporting for us. thank you. as the president visits texas, we're learning more about the man charged in the el paso shooting attack and why he is being held in a very tight bloc.

what are you hearing, brian, from law enforcement officials? >> reporter: piecing together new information on investigators' efforts to track shooter's actions in the hours and days before the massacre here, and on the precautions officials are taking to keep the suspect isolated in jail. >> tonight, law enforcement officials tell cnn, suspected shooter 21-year-old patrick is being held on lockdown in isolation. inside this detention central. a sheriff's department official says he's being held in a single 7 by 11 foot cell away from other inmates. law enforcement veterans say his possible interaction is a major concern. >> just moving him from his area to another area, just to make sure that he's not attacked. there are all sorts of things. when they transfer him, this he have to ensure that person administration it to trial. as i understand, he's being held in an area where he will be safe

from other inmates and safe from himself. >> but a sheriff's department official tells cnn, the suspect is not on suicide watchful they tracked down what they believe is the shooter's racist manifesto telling affiliate, police had to sift through a lot of false fos information and panic to find that clue. >> they were able to find the manifesto pretty quickly with you we were not able to attribute it to the shooter until later. >> the alleged planning including his ten to 11-hour journey to el paso. the key questions. >> did he talk to anybody? did he indicate anything at all? do you have tape on him? >> you never know who it is who will see the signs. people who see the signs might assume, well, i don't know this person very well. someone else will report it. that's not a great idea.

anyone who sees a problem should get involved. >> he is hoping the community will recover but he says there will be serious security concerns going forward. >> there will be a fear factor in all of us as we go to these larger stores. large events. of course, we'll be thinking in the back of our mind. am i safe here? and you start looking around. >> tonight, walmart is coming under scrutiny for some of those security concerns. the retail concern is having to address the concerns that it didn't have any security guards here at all on saturday. and for its sale policy on guns. the manufacturer here, they've sold guns consistently for a number of years. they did stop selling assault style weapons several years ago but they are coming under scrutiny for their gun sales. walmart says they'll review the security protocols at all their stores and they'll be very thoughtful and deliberate about

their gun sale policy. >> good reporting. thank you very much. let's to go dayton, ohio, for more on the president's visit there. ran randi kaye is there. >> reporter: the protesters were lining the streets. some were welcoming the president, some not so welcoming. they thought the president would come here. he did not. he went straight to the hospital the visit with patients and families and first responders and police officers and doctors. it was a closed visit. the president didn't make any remarks. he did spend about three hours on the ground here before heading off to el paso. when he left the hospital, this is where it gets interesting. he spoke with the mayor and spoke with senator brown and he said that he was going to come one some kind of special award for the police officers who were able to take down the suspect within 30 seconds here. they suggested to him, don't do this award. why don't you work some

legislation to get these powerful weapons and these assault weapons off the streets here. cnn spoke to the mayor about that conversation. here's what she had to say about the president's reaction to that. >> he was intimating that obama didn't get the law passed. why didn't he get it done? lookering didn't have the votes. the governor was there. maybe, he get the votes. mr. president, maybe you can get something that obama couldn't do. how about you get the votes? >> now the president is accusing the mayor of dayton and senator brown of misrepresenting his visit here. he was tweeting as you know that this was a warm and wonderful visit he had at the hospital. his social media director called him a rock star at the hospital. and this is all sort of a head scratcher. because the mayor and the senator both said that he was welcomed here.

that he was received well. that his visit at the hospital was comforting to some of the people. certainly senator brown did say that there were some who were not great admirers of the president but they treetd him with respect. certainly a little back and forth following the president's visit here and a little bit of a em, she said going on. >> very strange. i understand you have some new information about the dayton gunman? >> reporter: yes, we do. cnn has been able to talk to someone who used to hang out with him, known him for about ten years. he said this is be the first time that this dayton shooter had a weapon in his hands. he told him he had been going to a local firing range here called the shoot point blank range. that he owns about three or four weapons including an ar-15 pistol. they would play basketball, drink, spoke pot together. but he never imagined he was capable of something like this. >> all right. randi, thank you very much.

so joining us now, the former obama national security adviser, susan rice. she also served as the ambassador to the united nations. she has a new book coming out, there you see the cover, "tough love, the things worth fighting for." you've written a very powerful pen piece in the "new york times" opinion piece. let me read this. it is hard to calculate the dpag president trump's overt racism and almost daily attacks on black and brown people are having on the fabric of our nation. in light of the president's rhetoric, what is the impact of the president's trip, for example, today to el paso? >> well, it is good to be with you. the president's trip to el paso is sort of a normal thing for a normal president to do. the problem is, we don't have a normal president. in normal times as vice president biden reminded us today, the president would be

comforting and healing and unifying the nation. instead, he goes to visit victims in dayton and in el paso and then comes out and attacks the mayor and the senators from the states that he visited. he continues to divide us. most profoundly along racial lines. to suggest that those who come to this country as immigrants, those who have skin that looks like mine, are somehow less than human. he haslikened to us an invasion. an infestation. he uses terms that liken us to rodents. this is horrific language. in fact, it is the language that i recall as national security adviser, and then early in my career, as the kind of language that dictators and people who incite violence and genocide have used. so this is really quite dangerous. and a trip to visit towns that

have been deeply impacted by this kind of violence. that has been stoked by hateful rhetoric. don't solve the fundamental problem, which is that we are a divided society and we need healing and unification from the president of the united states. not pitting us against one another. >> you mentioned the former vice president. >> how far apart are those comments? how far is it from white supremacists and neo-nazis in charlottesville, trump's very fine people channelling, you will replace us. to the shooter at the tree of life synagogue in pittsburgh saying, we're committing genocide. juice are committing genocide on his people. i don't think it is that far at all. it is both clear language and in code. this president has fanned the

flames of white supremacy in this nation. >> do you agree with that assessment? >> absolutely. it is a horrible thing to have to say about the man who is leading the united states and is our current president but it is absolutely true. >> jake tapper has been reporting that the white house actually rebuffed efforts by the department of homeland security to make domestic terror threats a greater priority, one source saying the white house said major ideological blinders. how concerning is that with someone who used to deal with these issues when you were president obama's national security adviser? >> it is deeply concerning. we've had the fbi director repeatedly if he was the white supremacists, nationals threat is now much more frequent and likely to occur in this country and manifest itself in the form of terrorism than any other form of extremism.

and yet the president of the united states and his administration are cutting resources to deal with that threat. it is very telling that i worked in an administration that fought and put isis on the path to defeat. we now face a similar kind of threat that left untended, could have enormous implications. it has resulted in the deaths of people in various parts of this country, from pittsburgh to gilroy. and now to el paso. what we need is a president of the united states, an administration in washington, that is prepared to use all the elements of our power to defeat this threat. just as we have work to defeat the threat from isis and the threat from al qaeda. now, they're not eradicated completely. we have to remain vigilant. what we're doing is leaving our home front, our primary flank completely untended because we have a president and people in this administration who don't

seem to care. >> so what should the president, the white house, the administration be doing to deal with this terror threat emanating from white sprem siffs? >> well, first you have to start throwing fuel on the fire. the president is daily throwing fuel this fire. he can't even for 24 hours after a speech yesterday in which he tried to pretend that he's against hatred and bigotry, hold his fire and act dignified long enough to visit the scenes of these terrible tragedies. we need leadership and steadfastness in the white house of the sort that i'm not sure this president knows how to deliver. beyond that, we need justice department and the fbi and our intelligence community, hoke law enforcement, all fixated on this as an e-americaning serious threat to our national security. and we don't have that. just as we work to combat terrorism abroad, where it

threatens our interests, we need to be even more vigilant on the home front where americans are win creasing frequency, at risk. >> in the article in the "new york times," you stay ramifications internationally of what is happening in the united states are enormous and they're not good. tell us what you have in mind. >> well, the problem is that as bad as it is inside america's shores, it has international ramifications. our allies from britain to canada to germany are questioning and condemning the president's rhetoric when he attacks members of congress who happen to be women of color. we have dictators around the world who find comfort in washington. who see a fellow trafficker in the repression of minorities and president trump and gives them license and cover to do the same in their own countries. how can we creditably condemn violence and oppression against

china or christians in the middle east when we have a president who is demeaning and denigrating minorities in this country? we have a fundamental threat, wolf, that americans i hope by now are well aware of. that russia is trying to divide us internally and pit americans against each other. undermine our democracy. and when we have a divided society, and the president who traffics in exacerbating those divisions, he is doing the russians' bidding for them. and it is a very dangerous thing. our domestic political divisions, wolf, are arguably our greatest national security challenge at the moment. what we have in the white house is a president that preys on those divisions, throws salt in the wounds of our most painful, his, toal rifts and does so to the benefit of our adversaries who want nothing more than to see us divided and weakened from within.

>> i don't know if you know this. but the fox news personality, tucker carlson, says the idea that the idea that the country has a problem with white supremacy in his words is a home just like the russia hoax. what are the ramifications of talk like that? >> he's a disgrace. so let's move on. >> you don't even want to discuss it. >> i'm not going to dignify it -- >> there are people who believe those lies. >> well, let's talk about the lies. let's not talk about tucker carlson. the mentality that thinks that we had no problem in this country with white nationalism and white supremacy is completely a-historical and missing the moment that we are living in. and we see it manifest with extraordinary frequency. just look at what the killer in

el paso wrote. and look at what the killer in pittsburgh wrote. one attacked juicews. one attacked the immigrant community. this has gotten very long and deep historical roots. we deny it at our peril and i think americans are much more wit go of what is going on. they dismiss the blinders that we see from commentators who think that this is not a threat. all they have to do, sadly, is turn on their television sets and see that this is a very real and in fact, growing problem. >> we're listening to the director of homeland security. the current one appointed by the president, or christopher wray, the fbi director, who says this white supremacy terror threat is a huge threat to the country right now that has to be dealt with in a very serious way.

before i let you go, susan, give us a preview about your new book coming out. >> thank you. tough love. my story of the things worth fighting for. it is a very personal story that goes back to my family history, my parents and grandparents, the way i was raised. it tells the story of how i became who i am. and the issues that i worked both in the clinton and the obama administrations. at its root, a story of resilience and of fighting for the values that we share as americans. >> i have an advance copy of that book and it is a powerful memoir. and i know our viewers will certainly enjoy it. thanks. so for joining us. >> thank you. good to be with you. >> cnn is investigating the motion is of white supremacy in a special report, state of hateful be sure to join this us for that. this friday. 10:00 p.m. eastern. and more breaking news just ahead of the president's trip of

the shooting massacres that rocked two cities over the weekend. and we have exclusive new information about the white house's response to domestic terrorism. green things and brown things don't mix. just eat the food. i'm allergic to all things green. (mom sighs) ♪ ♪ kraft. for the win win. hi, i'm joan lunden. when my mother began forgetting things, we didn't know where to turn for more information. that's why i recommend a free service called a place for mom. we have local senior living advisors who can answer your questions about dementia or memory care and, if necessary, help you find the right place for your mom or dad. we all want what's best for our parents, so call today.

we're pretty different. we're all unique in our own ways. somos muy diferentes. muy diferentes. (vo) verizon knows everyone in your family is different. there are so many of us doing so many different things. (vo) that's why verizon lets everyone mix and match different unlimited plans. sebastian's the gamer. sebastian. this is my office. (vo) and now with more plans, everyone gets what they need without paying for things they don't. new plans start at just $35. the plan is so reasonable, they could stay on for the rest of their lives. aww, did you get that on camera? thanks, dad! (vo) the network more people rely on gives you more.

would shakespeare have chosen just "some pens?" methinks a tul pen would serve m'lady well. thanks. and a unicorn notebook! get everything on your list. this week's doorbuster- school backpacks for $10; $10 in store or online from the advisors at office depot officemax. (groans) hmph... (food grunting menacingly) when the food you love doesn't love you back, stay smooth and fight heartburn fast with tums smoothies. ♪ tum tum-tum tum tums

can the past help you write the future? can you feel calm in the eye of a storm? can you do more with less? can you raise the bar while reducing your footprint? for our 100 years we've been answering the questions of today to meet the energy needs of tomorrow. southern company (past them because she didn't sknow they were talking to her.g and she would just walk right (deborah) i just could not hear. i was hesitant to get the hearing aids because of my short hair, but nobody even sees them. (avo) our nearly invisible hearing aids are just one reason we've been the brand leader for over 70 years. (deborah) when i finally could hear for the first time, i started crying. i could hear everything. (avo) call 1-800-miracle to start your 30 day risk-free trial and schedule your free hearing evaluation today.

i can worry about it, or doe. something about it. garlique helps maintain healthy cholesterol naturally, and it's odor-free, and pharmacist recommended. garlique we have more breaking news right now. the trump administration's response to domestic terrorism which is being investigated in the attacks in el paso and dayton, our justice correspondent is joining us right now. i understand you have some new

exclusive cnn reporting. >> we're learning that the white house has actually rebuffed efforts for more than a year from department of homeland security officials. their own colleagues within the administration. those colleagues telling white house that they want to make combatting domestic terror threats really a greater priority. and the white house rebuffing those efforts. that's information coming from multiple current and former senior administration officials to our own jake tapper. and we learned that dhs officials have been battling the white house for more than a year to get them to focus on domestic terrorism. and when the administration released a report, it was really scantily mentioned in this 20-plus page report. it was put out by the administration last fall. it is called the national counter terrorism strategy. in it, it says that ral islamic terrorists remain the prime threat to the u.s., that domestic terrorism in that document is only mentioned twice without much detail. now this despite the fact even

fbi director chris wray recently testified last month that almost as many domestic terror arrests occurred in the first three quarters of this fiscal year as there have been arrested connected to international terrorism. the number of domestic terrorist arrests, about 100. and christopher said the majority were motivated by some version of white supremacist violence. importantly, the one issued by the white house where it mentions domestic terrorism twice. it does not mention white supremacy. so dhs officials we've learned have been pushing for the white house to make this more of a concern. to make this a greater priority for the administration. to focus in on domestic terrorism. tonight, a senior administration official from the white house defending the final strategy report, saying that it was the first ever to include domestic terrorism in the report. and the senior administration

official put it this way saying it continues to be a priority for this administration and the national security council has launched an inagency process focused on combatting domestic terrorism in support of the president's counter terrorism strategy. wolf, tonight, that really doesn't seem to be enough for those former and current senior administration officials who are speaking out, telling jake tapper that dhs has been pushing the white house to make domestic terrorism more of a priority for more than a year. and really, the white house only mentioning it twice in that strategy report that was issued a year ago. and according to these officials, just really not making it enough of a priority. >> it should be. thanks for that report. >> now, joining us, the texas state representative. he serves the el paso district. i know these are difficult times for you. everyone in el paso. when we spoke on monday you said

the president should not visit el paso. that he would be a distraction as the city tries to heal. so what do you make of the president's visit that is underway right now? >> reporter: well, wolf, clearly this president has not heard the calls of elected officials in el paso, letting them know it would be a huge distraction to come. just driving over here was a mess because of traffic. the streets are blocked off. we have police officers trying to get around. first responders working. we have a lot of folks coming to the memorial. and this only bogs everything down. so once again, our president disregards the requests of local officials and does his own thing. >> while the president was flying from dayton to el paso today, he tweeted out an attack on ohio officials who handled the response to the dayton mass

shooting last night. he tweeted, attacking beto o'rourke, the former u.s. congressman from el paso. a presidential candidate. what message does that say? >> reporter: we heard the president yesterday discuss things about unity, making sure that our country is united. then later on in the evening, he sends out these tweets. getting into an argument over twitter with our former congressmen and presidential candidate, beto o'rourke. so much for the unity. we've got a president who has consistently made speeches that divide our communities, that divide the country, and it looks like he continues to do so. we were hoping that if he came, that he would provide words of unity, provide our families that are victims and some words of encouragement. unfortunately, he continues with a lot of the same.

>> you've been critical of the president, for the way he's spoken about your city, el paso, about the latino community. do you believe he owes your city an apology? >> not only does he owe our city an apology but he owes us funding for his campaign event that he spent. he took almost $400,000 that he has failed to pay for all the services provided. so you know, once again, he comes to our community. he says negative things and disregards local elected officials and individuals who are here at the memorial that we heard testimony from, saying we don't want president trump here. >> what is their excuse? why hasn't either his campaign or the government for that matter repaid the city of el paso the 400,000, or $450,000 that you say they owe your community? >> we don't know why his

campaign has failed to pay it. there is a huge amount of cost involved with making sure our law enforcement is around and securing that area. first responders are always on call to make sure in a dangerous event that the president is protected. our level one trauma central is always on standby when the president comes to our community. so there is a hug logistical and financial expense in our community, that any community makes when the president visits the community. and once again, he has been back. and of course, using words of division instead of uniting. >> before i let you go, what do you want the country to know about el paso? >> you know, el paso is one of the safest cities in the country. el paso is a multi, binational, cultural community. it is predominantly latino but

we accept folks from all over the world here. we have a strong military base here so we're a community of veterans and active duty service members. more importantly, wolf, this community has its arms open to the immigrant community that are seeking refuge from all over the world and we're proud of that. we're proud to be the modern ellis island of our country. so we're going to continue to be that despite the tragic situation. despite the white nationals that come in and attack our community. we'll continue to be open to immigrants. >> state representative cesar blanco. thank you for joining us. >> you bet. thank you. just ahead, we'll have more on what the president is doing and saying in el paso. how it is playing in that grieving community.

they give us excellent customer otservice, every time.e. our 18 year old was in an accident. usaa took care of her car rental, and getting her car towed. all i had to take care of was making sure that my daughter was ok. if i met another veteran, and they were with another insurance company, i would tell them, you need to join usaa because they have better rates, and better service. we're the gomez family... we're the rivera family... we're the kirby family, and we are usaa members for life. get your auto insurance quote today. woman 1: i had no symptoms of hepatitis c. man 1: mine... man 1: ...caused liver damage.

vo: epclusa treats all main types of chronic hep c. vo: whatever your type, ask your doctor if epclusa is your kind of cure. woman 2: i had the common type. man 2: mine was rare. vo: epclusa has a 98% overall cure rate. man 3: i just found out about my hepatitis c. woman 3: i knew for years. vo: epclusa is only one pill, once a day, taken with or without food for 12 weeks. vo: before starting epclusa, your doctor will test if you have had hepatitis b, which may flare up, and could cause serious liver problems during and after treatment. vo: tell your doctor if you have had hepatitis b, other liver or kidney problems, hiv, or other medical conditions... vo: ...and all medicines you take, including herbal supplements. vo: taking amiodarone with epclusa may cause a serious slowing of your heart rate. vo: common side effects include headache and tiredness. vo: ask your doctor today, if epclusa is your kind of cure. i can taste my beer!

i can taste my beer. i can taste his beer. i can taste your beer. i want to taste his beer. samuel adams sam '76. finally, a refreshing lager that you can taste. barb, i can taste my beer. finally, a refreshing lager that you can taste. the business of road trips... ...adventure... ...and reconnecting. modernized comfort inn's and suites have been refreshed because our business is you. get the lowest price guaranteed on all choice hotels when you book direct at choicehotels.com.

here, hello! starts with -hi!mple... how can i help? a data plan for everyone. everyone? everyone. let's send to everyone! [ camera clicking ] wifi up there? -ahhh. sure, why not? how'd he get out?! a camera might figure it out. that was easy! glad i could help. at xfinity, we're here to make life simple. easy. awesome. so come ask, shop, discover at your xfinity store today.

the president and first lady, we're now told, have just arrived at what is being described as the emergency operations center to meet in fact law enforcement officials. we expect to get more details on this earlier. he was visiting the university medical center to meet with survivors, family members, medical personnel and others there. we expect to see the president at some point. let's discuss what is going on. what do you think? the president was told by a lot of the democratic officials, leaders in el paso, don't come. he's there. how do you think this will play out? sne didn't really prove them

wrong thus far, unfortunately, after what we saw in dayton. as we heard from sherrod brown. saying that they were well received, the president and the first lady. the victims in the hospital. i watched this press conference. they said the victims in the hospital were happy and appreciative that they came to visit. what did the president do when he got on the plane to el paso? he tweeted attacks against the two of them earlier this morning. he tweeted, attacks against beto o'rourke. against joe biden. you think about what he's walking into in el paso and the victims that he's meeting in there. i have no doubt that it is emotional and probably happy to see him. we don't see that side of it because unfortunately, he can't resist picking up his phone and tweeting. the country is no more unified today than it was yesterday. if this is what today is all about, trying to heal the nation, that doesn't seem to be happening. and i can't help but go back to

what susan rice said. i also agree that this is music to vladimir putin's ears. you think about what he did to sow division in the country. think about the fake facebook pages. there is nothing fake about what we're seeing now. you see people on the trump side. people that don't want him to come and all of this is so unnecessary. it is exactly what so many of our adversaries were wanting to do. putting salt on open wounds in this country. it is not healing and it is unfortunate, given the circumstances that we're facing. >> we're so used to hearing comfort. this is not a normal trip the president is engaged in. >> i think it is very normal. i think this is how president trump behaves. since 2015, we've been sitting here saying, oh, well, maybe he

will be presidential he was elected president of the united states. behaving without empathy. attacking his people he believes are his enemies. inverying adversaries, as he did today. this is who he is. he is not going to change. every time we say, maybe he'll be the healer in chief. who are we kidding except ourselves? >> what does it say that the president in the middle of these two visits, he is flying from dayton to el paso. he is trading political insults. >> at the beginning of the day the president said he was going to stand, stay above the political fray today. we've seen he doesn't have the

ability to do that. it is impossible whether he is meeting with survivors who might still have shrapnel in their bodies. it is impossible when he is meeting with doctors who could have saved lives or people who have lost loved ones. instead, he goes to his plane and tries to make himself the victim because he had these perceived slights with local officials. he probably did do a lot of good for folks there in dayton. they were happy to see him. but it is completely undermined when he chooses to be small and petty. on the trip, from dayton to el paso and highlights those spats, rather than where the focus should be. on these survivors. >> so far, no public remarks in dayton and in el paso no, public remarks either. we'll see if it changes. the former vice president joe biden, he delivered a blistering attack against the president today on racism and white

supremacy. it was a very powerful attack. it was good that the president was in dayton. the reports out of that event were that people were happy to have their president there. but at the same time, going back to the president's speech on monday morning, he is at his least convincing when he is playing consoler in chief and at his most under comfortable when he is playing consoler in chief. what vice president biden said today just underscores that. i think that's part of the reason why you saw the president hashing out on twitter including at vice president biden. everybody knows this. it is not a surprise to anyone. the president knows it. so it is just reminding him of his shortcoming. >> what do you think? >> we don't know all the details when it comes to this pair of shootings. what we do know is that the el paso massacre is being investigated as an act of domestic terrorism. authorities have pointed to a

manifesto that was allegedly authored by the gunman. echoing the anti-immigrant rhetoric used by president trump. for instance, referring to the hispanic invasion in texas. if we tried to recap all the statements that he's made about gra immigrants, we would run out of time. and what is being lost in this conversation is that these aren't just political sound bites. these the words of the president of the united states. they have real consequences. what they do is they cause real fear in these immigrant communities and they embolden people who may have been harboring these anti-american sentiments. the president is unwilling to address that. he is dismissing all the criticism. as jackie pointed out, the real victims in the eyes of the president is donald trump. >> stand by. we have much more to discuss

after this and created a menu you've never seen before. bloom, there it is! bloom, there it is! bloom, there it is! this bloom-ified menu starts at $13.99. offer ends soon, at outback.

we're back with our analyst. bianna let me play a clip. this is what the the president said upon leaving the white house today upon leaving for dayton. >> i think we tone it down. we've been getting hit left and right from everybody. i think my rhetoric it brings people together. 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. >> you and the shooter in el paso used the same language do you regret that. >> i think that illegal immigration -- you are talking about illegal immigration, right, yes. >> i think illegal immigration is pennsylvania terrible thing for this country. i think open borders are a bad thing for our country. >> bianna what stands out to you when we hear. >> that he hasn't embraced the hispanic community in country at all over the past few days. look at who this terrorist targeted, hips iks in this country. and the president ha nos the mentioned that once. think about what president george w. bush after 9/11. he went to a muslim mosque to sniff islam is a religion of peace. we don't see that from this president. you want at a talk about the economy. talk about the fact that hispanic community in texas

propped up the state's economy. but we have not heard any of that from the president yet. >> we are showing our viewers live pictures now of the president and the first lady. there you see them their back. at the what's called the emergency operations center in el paso. meeting law enforcement officials. and we're watching that go on right now. the white house issuing a statement saying today president donald j. trump and first lady melania trump will meet with law enforcement personnel at the emergency operations center in el paso. and we are seeing that unfold. all right. let's listen in and see if we can hear any of in. >> just chaos. a lot of kids --

>> how long did it take you to say, hey, this is it? >> you did good, chief. >> yes. >> you did something that uniform is honoring the united states. he did something he thought he needed to do, risking his own life doing that. fortunately that wasn't the situation. but stepping up and doing it at a time when other people were running the other direction is indicative of his valor and courage. and. >> and everybody knows it. >> a great example of the united states military, sir. >> you did a good job. >> yes, sir. >> i'm very proud. >> thank you. thank you. >> thank you. >> we'll go in the other room and what i'd like to do, i'd like you come to the oval

office. >> you bet, sir. >> that sounds good. yes, sir. >> we would totally appreciate it, sir. thank you. >> thank you very much. >> thank you. >> good luck. fantastic job. thank you. >> we had an amazing day, as you know we left ohio, and the love, the respect for the office of the presidency, it was -- i wish you could there to see it. i wish you could have have been there. and no different here. we went to the hospital came from the hospital. we were there a lot longer than we were anticipated to be. supposed to be just a fairly quick -- we met with numerous

people. we met with also the doctors, nurses, the medical staff. they have done an incredible job. both places just incredible. and the enthusiasm, the love, the respect and also the telling them let's see if we can get something done and republicans want to do it and democrats want to do it. here is great hero. this man, the job he did. you all know who it is, everybody the whole world knows who you are now. you'll be a movie star the way you look. that will be next, who knows. >> yes, sir. >> what a job you did. >> thank you, sir. >> there were a lot of heroes. a lot of heroes did incredible work. now we are going in, keith and say hello to some of your folks. >> this is one of the most respected men in law enforcement. and i want to thank you very much. >> thank you, mr. president thank you very much. >> vice president biden, senator

brown, they are waiting as well as various members of the media. >> well, they shouldn't be politicking today. i had it with sherrod brown he and the mayor, they asked to go in could we possibly go in and make the tour with you i said yes let's do it. they couldn't believe what they saw. and they said it to people. the entire hospital, no different than what we had in el paso. the entire hospital was -- i mean, everybody was so proud of the job they did. because they did a great job. they did a great job here. and then i say goodbye. i took them in at their request, made the tour. they couldn't believe it. she said the it to people. he said to people. i get on air force where they have a lot of television. i turn on the television and there they are saying i don't know if it was the president to be here. et cetera, et cetera, the same old line. near dishonest people. that's why he got about zero%

and failed as a presidential candidate. we are going to see some great people. and i wanted to meet this hero before i did anything. and we appreciate it. >> thank you. >> see you. in way, please. thank you. >> all right. that's all, you guys. out this door. >> there is the president -- that's the first time we have heard from him directly since he was in dayton earlier in the day, now in el paso, said it's been an amazing day. he said there was an enormous love and respect shone for the office of the the president but he said some of the political leaders senator brown in ohio, the mayor in dayton, ohio, shouldn't have said what they said. even though they praised what he

was doing at the hospital you know jackie -- you've been listening closely to what the president just said. what do you think. >> the fact that he talked about the love and respect for the presidency with him at the hospital right out of the gate, without -- and then mentioned some of the heroes and didn't mention anyone that he visited with really by -- any sort of spesfyty tells you all you need to know about what today was about. >> what did you think david. >> you didn't mention the name. that he was arm o army private glenn observingly ran from a from a store into the wal-mart to get kids out. it was nice the president congratulated. >> he was with the chief of police of el paso, greg allen escorting him around as well sabrina. >> let's mot operate under resolution that his predecessor whether obama or george w. bush didn't face criticism from political opponents even in times of tragedy, even going to meet with victims. but they didn't engage. they didn't fight back. because they knew it wasn't appropriate. and that wasn't the time.

the political debate can continue any other day. >> earlier in the day we heard the sound clip, the president said at the white house, i think my rhetoric it brings people together. what do you think? >> well, he may -- you know, look we hasn't changed at alls since he came down the escalator in 2015. he is exactly the same. and you know what, he won the election in 2016. and he may win the election in 2020. so this idea that we are some day going to see a different donald trump it's just never going to happen and yoend why we keep waiting for one. >> bianna. >> look, i think in many respects and in terms of times of crisis when people debate whether or not a president should go for the scene it's always about diversion of resources and deforting resources away from those in need attention. it's never that i can recall been about political divisions. and adding more tension to the situation.

so that's where this is a unique situation we're in. >> the president just said let's see what can be done as far as legislation is concerned. our special coverage continues right now with erin burnett "outfront." outfront next, breaking news, president trump in el paso texas visiting victims of the mass shootings. why is he lashing out aching politicians who praised his visit? plus joe biden unleashing a blistering attack on trump to do tonight, accusing the president of fanning flames of white supremacy. did he go too far? and president trump claims his rhetoric brings people together. will hurd who has been a critic of the president when it comes to race responds. let's go outfront. >> and good evening i'm erp burnett the breaking news, president trump in el paso texas at this hour meeting with first responders. seconds ago speaking out doubling down on his slam of