President Trump’s handling of the massacre in a Pittsburgh synagogue Saturday has some comparing his response to a national tragedy with that of his predecessor. In 2015, after a 21-year-old white supremacist murdered nine African Americans in a South Carolina church, then-President Barack Obama visited the city and delivered one of the most memorable eulogies of his presidency. This time, as the nation grapples with another hate-fueled attack on a minority group, the presidential visit was different. Several Jewish leaders and Pittsburgh's mayor asked Trump to postpone, national leaders from both parties declined to attend with him, and the president, who was met by protestors, made no public statements. Then today, after a brief Twitter mention of his visit, Trump turned full-force back to his midterm talking-point: immigration. He will likely remain focused on that theme during his eight-state, 11-rally tour ahead of election day. Meanwhile, Democrats are sending out their heavy hitters – Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and Oprah, among others – to get out the vote, all while the party wrestles internally between its progressive and centrist elements.
Jim Braude was joined by Alan Solomont, dean of the Tisch College of Civic Life at Tufts University and former ambassador to Spain; and former Massachusetts treasurer Joe Malone.
