EL PASO, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump will visit El Paso, Texas, on Wednesday following a mass shooting in the southern border town that killed 22 people, the local mayor said.
“President Trump called me yesterday. He was very gracious in the call… (and) offered to help in any way he could,” Dee Margo told a news conference on Monday.
“He is coming out here on Wednesday.”
Trump has been accused by his opponents of helping to stir up resentment against ethnic minority groups with his divisive rhetoric, and some locals in El Paso — which has a mainly Hispanic population — have said that the president would not be welcome.
But Margo, who is a member of Trump’s Republican party and has been a vocal supporter of the president, defended the prospect of his visit.
“This is the office of the mayor of El Paso in an official capacity welcoming the office of the president of United States, which I consider is my formal duty,” he told reporters.
“I will ask President Trump to support our efforts with any and all federal resources that are available.”
© Agence France-Presse
