'Jesus Christ, of course he's racist,' Beto O'Rourke vehemently says of Trump, tying him to weekend shootings


Former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke has no questions about what led to this past weekend's mass shootings.
After 20 people were killed in his hometown of El Paso, Texas and another nine were killed in Dayton, Ohio, the Democratic presidential candidate passionately told reporters that President Trump is "inciting racism and violence in this country." And in two Monday morning show appearances, he definitely didn't backtrack.
O'Rourke first appeared on ABC News' This Week, where White House correspondent Jon Karl asked if O'Rourke was saying Trump "bears responsibility for what we just saw in El Paso." "I am," O'Rourke responded, bringing up how Trump has labeled Mexicans as "rapists and criminals" and saying he "encourages the kind of open racism ... that we saw here in El Paso, Texas."
O'Rourke got even more heated during his Morning Joe spot, comparing Trump's rhetoric surrounding Mexicans and Muslims to "the Third Reich" of "Nazi Germany." He then described how fed up he was with questions of whether Trump is racist. "Jesus Christ, of course he's racist," O'Rourke said. "He's been racist since day one — before day one." Kathryn Krawczyk
Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
-
The best folk albums of 2025
The Week Recommends From soul-searching lyrics to magnificent harmonies, these artists are a cut above the rest
-
Parthenogenesis: the miracle of 'virgin births' in the animal kingdom
The Explainer Asexual reproduction, in which females reproduce without males by cloning themselves, has been documented in multiple species
-
What will bring Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table?
Today's Big Question With diplomatic efforts stalling, the US and EU turn again to sanctions as Russian drone strikes on Poland risk dramatically escalating conflict
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to Trump
Speed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump
-
Supreme Court allows 'roving' race-tied ICE raids
Speed Read The court paused a federal judge's order barring agents from detaining suspected undocumented immigrants in LA based on race
-
South Korea to fetch workers detained in Georgia raid
Speed Read More than 300 South Korean workers detained in an immigration raid at a Hyundai plant will be released
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'
Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearing
Speed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mount
Speed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own list
speed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act
-
Court hands Harvard a win in Trump funding battle
Speed Read The Trump administration was ordered to restore Harvard's $2 billion in research grants