WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - President Donald Trump said there is 'no political appetite' for legislation banning assault-style weapons.
Trump made this observation while talking to reporters before boarding Marine One to visit the sites of mass shootings in Ohio and Texas Wednesday.
'I can tell you that there is no political appetite for that at this moment, probably, from the standpoint of legislature,' he said in reply to a question about his position on banning assault rifles.
But at the same time, Trump said there is a very strong appetite for background checks. 'I think both Republicans and Democrats are getting close to a bill on background checks,' he told reporters outside the White House.
Earlier this week, Democratic lawmakers and presidential candidates had called on the Senate to expedite moves to pass a long-pending gun control legislation.
The House passed the Background Check Expansion Act in February, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell refused to introduce the Bill in the Republican-controlled Senate.
Wednesday, Trump repeated his observation that mass shootings are perpetrated by mentally unstable people, and rejected considering a ban on huge, large-capacity magazines.
In his opinion, there is a political appetite within Congress 'to do something with regard to making sure that mentally unstable, seriously ill people aren't carrying guns.'
Responding to another question, Trump said he is concerned about the rise of any group of hate, 'whether it's white supremacy, or any other kind of supremacy.' He denied his rhetoric has any impact on white supremacy.
Leaving El Paso for the White House after visiting the mass shooting site in Dayton, Ohio, Trump said, 'The Fake News worked overtime trying to disparage me and the two trips, but it just didn't work. The love, respect & enthusiasm were there for all to see.'
The President met with the victims, their families, law enforcement officials, medical staff and first responders.
He accused presidential candidate Sherrod Brown and Dayton Mayor Nannette Whaley of 'totally misrepresenting' what took place during his visit to a Dayton hospital. 'Their news conference after I left for El Paso was a fraud. It bore no resemblance to what took place with those incredible people that I was so lucky to meet and spend time with,' Trump tweeted.
However, both Brown and Whaley refuted Trump's allegation.
'We said he was treated really well. I don't know what you could talk about misrepresenting, so. Oh well, you know. He lives in his world of Twitter,' Whaley said in a video published on Twitter by the Cincinnati Enquirer.
'I've said before Donald Trump is a bully and bullies are cowards. I don't care what he says about me. But the people of Dayton deserve a President more focused on protecting them from gun violence than protecting his own ego,' Brown said to CNN.
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