In what may be among the most disgusting acts of the 2016 campaign yet, Donald Trump is using the murder of a woman to further his presidential campaign.
On Wednesday night Kathryn Steinle, a 32-year old woman visiting family in San Francisco was shot on the Pier, allegedly by an undocumented immigrant who had been deported, according to reports, four or five times previously.
On Friday evening, GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump, under fire since for racist and anti-immigrant remarks made repeatedly since announcing his presidential candidacy weeks ago, released a statement capitalizing on the young woman’s murder.
“This senseless and totally preventable act of violence committed by an illegal immigrant is yet another example of why we must secure our border immediately,” Trump said in a statement Friday, first reported by David Rothstein of FOX 25 News in Boston.
“This is an absolutely disgraceful situation and I am the only one that can fix it. Nobody else has the guts to even talk about it. That won’t happen if I become President.”
“The American people deserve a wall to protect our job, economy and our safety. I am the only candidate who would build it. I will Make America Great Again!,” Trump’s statement concluded.
Trump then took to Twitter to advance his attacks against immigrants and the border:
There are no reports showing Trump personally reached out to the victim’s family before using her murder for political gain.
The use of tragedies to further his campaign is a regular tactic for Trump.
Immediately after news broke in May of the Amtrak crash that killed eight people and injured over 200 others, Trump was fast to use that event to further his campaign also, sending tweets that included, “The only one to fix the infrastructure of our country is me – roads, airports, bridges. I know how to build, pols only know how to talk!,” and “I am the BEST builder, just look at what I’ve built. Hillary can’t build. Republican candidates can’t build. They don’t have a clue!”
Meanwhile, on Twitter, many were quick to denounce Trump’s grandstanding and use of the San Francisco murder for political gain:
Â
Image by Gage Skidmore via Flickr and a CC licenseÂ