White House pushes back on criticism of Trump's tone

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON

The White House on Monday offered a terse defense of U.S. President Donald Trump's rhetoric after he continued to call the media the "enemy of the people" following a series of domestics attacks.

"The very first thing the media did was blame the president and make him responsible for these ridiculous acts," spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told reporters, responding to criticism alleging Trump fueled a toxic environment that has helped motivate an attack on a synagogue Saturday that left 11 people dead, and a series of bombs being sent to prominent critics of the president and CNN.

"That is outrageous," said Sanders.

The attacks are unrelated, but in both the suspects appear to have been fueled by some of Trump's rhetoric.

The president has continued to take the offensive on social media ahead of the Nov. 6 midterm elections while striking a somewhat more conciliatory tone during political rallies.

Prior to Monday's news Trump blamed the "Fake News Media" for the U.S.'s tense political climate, continuing to call the media "the true Enemy of the People."

He said the media "must stop the open & obvious hostility & report the news accurately & fairly."

"That will do much to put out the flame of Anger and Outrage and we will then be able to bring all sides together in Peace and Harmony," Trump tweeted.

Responding to criticism that Trump is fueling the negative climate by making such comments, Sanders said he will "continue to fight back" against his critics.

Trump will travel to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday to honor the 11 people who were killed when an anti-Semitic gunman opened fire at the Tree of Life synagogue Saturday. The suspect in the case, Robert Bowers, 46, voiced not only anti-Semitic rants on social media, but also made strongly anti-immigrant comments online.

On the Gab.com website, which is popular among the far-right, Bowers said " are the children of ," and had particular qualms with the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS), a Jewish pro-refugee group.

"HIAS likes to bring invaders in that kill our people. I can't sit by and watch my people get slaughtered. Screw your optics, I'm going in," he wrote on Gab shortly before he entered the synagogue.

The website is unavailable following the devastating tragedy.

Trump has taken a hard line on immigration, recently responding to a group of thousands of people walking across Central America and Mexico on their way to the U.S. by suggesting their ranks are filled with violent criminals and terrorists.

Some among the group plan to cross the U.S. border illegally, while others are hoping to apply for asylum amid desperate economic conditions and gang violence in the region.