President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were in Dayton, Ohio, and El Paso, Texas, yesterday to meet with some of the victims of the recent mass shootings and their families, as well as first responders. Before he departed the White House, Trump took questions from reporters.

Asked what he would say to critics who claim his rhetoric is “emboldening white nationalists,” Trump said:

“So, my critics are political people … trying to make points. In many cases, they’re running for president and they’re very low in the polls… If you look at Dayton, that was a person [who] supported … Bernie Sanders… Antifa… Elizabeth Warren… It had nothing to do with President Trump.”

When asked whether he was concerned about “the rise in white supremacy,” the president said:

“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 Antifa … I am very concerned about it. And I’ll do something about it.”

Reporters peppered the president with questions about what he and Congress might do legislatively to address mass shootings. The president indicated that background checks and “red flag laws” were important to ensure that “mentally unstable, seriously ill people aren’t carrying guns.”

As for banning so-called “assault weapons,” the president said, “I can tell you that there is no political appetite for that at this moment.”

The president was also asked if he “regretted” referring to massive numbers of illegal immigrants crossing the border as an “invasion.” He ignored the reporter’s question, and I’m glad he did not dignify it with a direct response. But Trump did deliver a strong, unapologetic defense of his immigration position, saying:

“I think illegal immigration is a terrible thing for this country… I think open borders are a very bad thing for our country. And we’re stopping [it]; we’re building a wall right now… It’s being built at a rapid pace… We need strong immigration laws… So, I believe we have to have legal immigration, not illegal immigration.”

Democrat Dividers

As the president prepared for yesterday’s visits, the left-wing political leadership in Dayton and El Paso were telling the president that he is unwelcome and blamed him for the murders. These disgusting attacks on the president are proof of how hate fuels “The Resistance.” They are fomenting the divisions in our country.

(By the way, the Women’s March protested the president’s visit to El Paso yesterday. That’s some real chutzpah given the group’s record of racism and anti-Semitism.)

Kudos to Vibora Anchondo, sister of Andre Anchondo. As I noted in yesterday’s report, Andre and his wife, Jordan, were killed in El Paso shielding their two-month-old son. Vibora is furious with local politicians for putting their own interests ahead of healing their community.

Local officials should welcome the president of the United States at a time when the country is hurting. They should be doing their part to tone down the rhetoric.

But the left isn’t doing that. For example, Frank Figliuzzi, an NBC News contributor and former FBI assistant director for counterintelligence, essentially accused the president of being an admirer of Adolf Hitler. Here’s what he said Monday night on MSNBC:

“The president said that we will fly our flags at half-mast until August 8th. That’s 8/8… The numbers 88 are very significant in the neo-Nazi and white supremacist movement. Why? Because the letter H is the eighth letter of the alphabet and to them, the numbers 88 together stand for ‘Heil Hitler.’”

So now the left has turned the very act of lowering the flag out of respect for the victims into an act of white supremacy. This is how unhinged the left has become. And bizarre conspiracy theories are now passing for “news” on “MSDNC.”

All over the country, the left is engaged in hate speech to demonize conservatives. From the mob outside Mitch McConnell’s home to Rep. Joaquin Castro doxing his own constituents who support Donald Trump, there is a well-coordinated effort to intimidate Trump voters.

But it’s not just about the president. The left is trying to shame and silence anyone who supports normal conservative values.

Here’s more. New York Times columnist Charles Blow recently labeled virtually every elected conservative Republican a “white nationalist policymaker” based on their support for “border walls, anti-immigrant laws, voter suppression and packing the courts.”

So border security, voter ID laws and conservative judges – essentially the GOP platform – qualifies as “white nationalism” in Blow’s mind.

By the way, posters declaring, “Death Camps For Trump Supporters Now!!!” appeared on Long Island over the weekend.

When “mainstream” media and political leaders say that the president is a white supremacist and that his supporters are white supremacists for wanting to secure the border or protect the sanctity of life, they are setting the stage for the violence we just saw in Dayton, where a left-wing Antifa supporter acted on his rage.

Antifa already believes it is justified in physically attacking conservatives. They don’t need encouragement from hyperbolic pundits and politicians. Yet their rhetoric is justifying violence against regular Americans, like Jahangir “John” Turan, who do nothing more than wear MAGA hats in public.

In related news, Vice President Mike Pence addressed our friends at the Alliance Defending Freedom this week. Asked how he deals with the frequent attacks from the left, Pence quipped, “As a Christian believer, we’re charged to pray for our loved ones but also pray for our enemies. And you have lots of opportunities in politics to do that.”

Impeachment Insanity

If you thought the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh last October was the last of that sorry saga, think again.

Yesterday, Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, and Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA), a Judiciary subcommittee chairman, sent a letter to the National Archives demanding records related to Kavanaugh’s service in the Bush White House.

At a minimum, Nadler’s letter implies that he is trying to force Kavanaugh to recuse himself from “certain high-profile cases related to reproductive rights, the separation of powers, and the limits of executive authority.” At worst, Nadler is acting on his previous threat to impeach Justice Kavanaugh.

But Kavanaugh is not Nadler’s only target. He recently suggested that the House may move to impeach President Trump later this fall.

America Defamed

Imagine how you’d feel if a group of people in your hometown started saying that your entire life was a lie, that it was based on greed and exploitation, and that the world would be better off if you didn’t exist.

That’s exactly what’s happening right now, and not to a person, but to our country. There is a powerful movement in America that’s telling the country that’s historically been referred to as a shining city on a hill and the greatest representative democracy the world has ever seen that it’s no good.