Over the weekend, there were two mass shootings in the United States, leaving 29 people dead and scores injured.
The shootings occurred in a Walmart supermarket in El Paso, Texas where 20 people were killed and outside a nightclub in Dayton, Ohio over the weekend, which saw nine people murdered. The gunman was killed by police during the Ohio shooting.
The first attack, in El Paso, is being considered racially motivated and a case of domestic terrorism after the alleged gunman posted racist rhetoric against the Hispanic community online. The suspect is now in police custody.
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In response to the atrocities, President Donald Trump condemned the 'hateful act' on Twitter, saying the cities were in his and First Lady Melania Trump's prayers.
However, given the frequency of these mass shootings, the Republican party's ties with the NRA combined with the racist and xenophobic rhetoric the President has used ever since his campaign (for example labelling Mexican migrants 'rapists' and 'criminals'), many took umbrage with his response.
One such person was Rihanna, who shared a screenshot of Trump's tweet on Instagram, criticising him for not describing the shootings as terrorism.
'Imagine a world where it's easier to get an AK-47 than a Visa,' she wrote. 'Imagine a world where they build a wall to keep terrorists in America.'
Other celebrities also pointed out the hypocrisy of some of the phrases and terms Trump has previously used to describe the hispanic population as leverage to push through a hardline immigration stance and policies, including separating migrant children from from their families and building a physical wall on the US-Mexico border.
John Legend made a link between the 'racist venom from the President's mouth' and the inspired killings at the hands of white gunmen who follow a far-right, racist ideology.
A whole host of other celebrities, including Julianne Moore, Reese Witherspoon and Chris Evans, called for stricter gun control measures in the wake of the shootings while also conveying their exhaustion at having to raise this same issue time and time again.
While Trump has not addressed the criticism levied at him directly, he told reporters on Sunday that 'probably more has to be done' when it comes to gun control.
Photos: Students Across America Stage Powerful School Walkouts To End Gun Violence
Olivia Blair is Entertainment Editor (Luxury) at Hearst UK, working across ELLE, Esquire and Harper's Bazaar. Olivia covers all things entertainment and has interviewed the likes of Margot Robbie, Emma Stone, Michaela Coel and Ryan Gosling over the years.
