Dayton mayor: I'll 'absolutely' tell Trump 'how unhelpful he's been' during his visit

Nan Whaley.
(Image credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images)

The mayor of Dayton, Ohio is expressing disappointment with President Trump's response to the mass shooting that left 9 people dead in the city ahead of his Wednesday visit — and she says she'll confront him about it.

"I'm disappointed with his remarks," Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley said on Tuesday of Trump's Monday address on the mass shootings both in Dayton and in El Paso, Texas, per CNN. "I think they fell really short. He mentioned gun issues one time."

Whaley continued by saying that after "watching the president over the past few years on the issues of guns, I don't know if he knows what he believes, frankly."

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Trump early on Monday floated the idea on Twitter of tying gun background check legislation with immigration reform, only to drop this proposal and not discuss it in his speech hours later. Instead, Trump said in his address that "mental illness and hatred pulls the trigger, not the gun."

Whaley on Tuesday also said that Trump's comments "weren't very helpful to the issue around guns," per ABC News, and when asked if she'll express this opinion when Trump visits on Wednesday, she responded, "Absolutely." Brendan Morrow

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Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.