According to the family of the couple who died protecting their baby from the El Paso shooter on August 23, they have received death threats because they met with President Trump, according to a new report.
Andre and Jordan Anchondo, the parents of two-month-old Paul, were shot and killed by the El Paso shooter in a Walmart in an attack in which 22 people were murdered. Jordan was trying to protect her young son while Andre was trying to shield both of them. Paul was left with broken fingers.
After the massacre, Trump visited El Paso, where he met with members of the Anchondo family, including Paul’s uncle Tito Anchondo, who is a Trump supporter, as was his brother Andre.
Tito Anchondo had told National Public Radio, “I want to see his reaction in person. I want to see if he’s genuine and see if my political views are right or wrong and see if he feels maybe some kind of remorse for statements that he’s made.”
While Trump was there, a photo was taken of first lady Melania holding Paul Anchondo as President Trump smiled; Tito Anchondo was in that photo.
Jordan’s grandfather, John Jamrowski, said the hospital had informed him that President Trump was coming; he said he wanted to avoid making a political statement if he declined to meet with the president. He asserted, “We’re politically neutral. We discussed it as a family and said, ‘You know what, this could be spun around.'”
Tito Anchondo said that after the photo was posted he received death threats, according to The Daily Mail. He stated, “We should be coming together as a country at this time instead of threatening each other with hate messages,” adding that Trump “was just there to give his condolences and he was just being a human being. Is it that hard to try and understand that a family is trying to not be sad at a moment like this? We’re trying to be as strong as we can. My brother is gone.”
The Daily Mail noted that after the photo of Trump and the family was posted on Melania Trump’s Twitter account, Democratic strategist Greg Pinelo said: “This is a photo of Trump grinning while Melania holds a baby orphaned by the shooting. A baby who was taken from home and forced to serve as a prop at a photo-op for the very monster whose hate killed her/his parents. I would need 280,000 characters to say how furious I am.”
Washington Post columnist Brian Klaas echoed, “I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who would think the appropriate response would be flashing a smile and thumbs up. Something is wrong with him.”
As The El Paso Times reported, White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham said: “The president and first lady met with victims of the tragedy while at the hospital. I’d also point you to the video the White House posted this evening, which shows the president and first lady being received very warmly by not just victims and their families, but by the many members of medical staff who lined the hallways to meet them. It was a moving visit for all involved.”