Trump attacks 'fake news' about protests during Pittsburgh visit
The US president insists he and Melania Trump were "treated very nicely" in Pittsburgh, where a demonstration took place.
Wednesday 31 October 2018 16:15, UK
Donald Trump has attacked "fake news stories" about protests during his visit to a synagogue where 11 people were shot dead.
The US president visited Pittsburgh on Tuesday following the mass shooting during a baby naming ceremony at the weekend.
Mr Trump was joined by his wife Melania, daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner at the Tree of Life temple, on the same day the first funerals of the victims took place.
As their visit began, around 2,000 protesters staged an anti-Trump rally about a block away from the synagogue.
Some held signs carrying slogans such as "President Hate, leave our state" and "Trump lies kill".
More than 74,000 people also signed an open letter from a group of Jewish leaders telling Mr Trump: "You are not welcome in Pittsburgh until you fully denounce white nationalism".
The president made no public comments during his visit on Tuesday but, posting on Twitter on Wednesday, Mr Trump insisted he and Melania were "treated very nicely" during their visit.
He added: "The Office of the President was shown great respect on a very sad & solemn day.
"We were treated so warmly. Small protest was not seen by us, staged far away. The Fake News stories were just the opposite - Disgraceful!"
Following the Pittsburgh massacre, Robert Bowers, 46, has been charged with 29 counts of criminal activity, including hate crimes and using a firearm to commit murder.
He is alleged to have shouted "All Jews must die" after storming the synagogue, with it later emerging he had accused Mr Trump online of doing nothing to stop an "infestation" by Jewish people.
The shooting has renewed debate over Mr Trump's rhetoric, which critics say has contributed to a surge in white nationalist and neo-Nazi activity.
But, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters ahead of Mr Trump's visit to Pittsburgh: "The president has denounced racism, hatred, and bigotry in all forms, on a number of occasions. We'll continue to do that."
Mr Trump has condemned the shooting as an "evil antisemitic attack" and an "assault on humanity".
The president was also defended by Naftali Bennett, Israel's minister for diaspora affairs, who said it was "unfair and wrong" to link Mr Trump to the mass killing.
"President Trump is a true friend of the state of Israel and to the Jewish people," he said.
"With President Trump we never have to worry if he has our backs."
Mr Trump also used his Twitter account on Wednesday to continue his hardline stance on immigration, with less than a week before critical mid-term US Congress elections.
The president reiterated his warnings of "caravans" of migrants heading to the US-Mexico border, as he praised how the US military is being mobilised.
He posted: "We will NOT let these Caravans, which are also made up of some very bad thugs and gang members, into the U.S.
"Our Border is sacred, must come in legally. TURN AROUND!"
In addition, he claimed the right to US citizenship for babies born to non-US citizens on American soil "will be ended one way or the other".
It has been questioned whether the president can act unilaterally to change the law, despite Mr Trump suggesting he could sign an executive order to scrap what he terms "so-called Birthright Citizenship".