The El Paso shooting proved to be not only a tragic day for the residents of El Paso and citizens of Texas but the country as a whole. As the death toll continued to climb and the killer’s evil motives became all the more certain, many the nation over came together -- however briefly -- to grieve the loss of their fellow man.
And though the shooting itself was cruel and gruesome enough, one story, in particular, stands among the rest: that of Andre and Jordan Anchondo, parents of two-month-old Paul Anchondo. Displaying the unconditional and undying love a parent feels for a child, Jordan Anchondo died shielding her little boy from a hail of gunfire, while her husband, Andre, died valiantly trying to shield both his wife and child.
Both parents died, but the baby Paul, miraculously, survived. Since that tragic day, the families of both Andre and Jordan have been in mourning. This is where President Trump comes in.
A picture of the President went viral in the wake of the mass shooting at the Walmart after it showed first lady Melania holding little Paul Anchondo as POTUS smiled and gave a thumbs up.
Among the family members in the photo was the baby's uncle, Tito Anchondo, a Trump supporter who said he had received death threats.
Yes, Tito Anchondo, brother of Paul Anchondo, received death threats after appearing in a photo with the President while he was visiting El Paso.
"We should be coming together as a country at this time instead of threatening each other with hate messages," Anchondo said in a statement. "[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."
Sending death threats to anyone is vile, but sending them to a man grieving the tragic and sudden loss of his brother? That is the textbook definition of disgusting.
Cover Photo Melania Trump/Twitter