Democratic presidential candidates spoke out Sunday against President Donald Trump’s racist and xenophobic rhetoric, linking it to the El Paso shooting as police are investigating whether the suspected gunman, a 21-year-old white man, was motivated by a hatred of Hispanic people.

For former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas), Saturday’s violence that killed at least 20 people and injured dozens more struck the city he calls home.

“We’ve got to acknowledge the hatred, the open racism that we’re seeing,” he told CNN’s Jake Tapper. “There is an environment of it in the United States. We see it on Fox News, we see it on the internet, but we also see it from our commander in chief. He is encouraging this. He doesn’t just tolerate it, he encourages it.”

via 2020 Democrats Link Trump’s Racism To El Paso Shooting: ‘He Is Responsible’ | HuffPost Australia