SAN DIEGO _ Former Vice President Joe Biden said at a San Diego fundraiser that President Donald Trump's rhetoric was fueling hate-filled acts of violence such as the two recent shootings that left dozens dead and many more injured.
The gathering, held at the Del Cerro home of Mark Arabo, a Chaldean-American businessman who has advocated for persecuted Christians, came soon after the back-to-back mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio. About 75 people attended the Sunday event, which raised funds for Biden's presidential bid.
Biden quickly pledged to do away with the types of weapons used in the recent massacres, apparently referring to guns like the AR-15, but added that the country would need to go beyond gun-control measures and address the hatred he feels fuels such incidents.
"The fact is, white nationalists, white supremacists, these extreme ideologies are growing, are taking root in America," the former vice president said. He added later, "These are escalating acts that are occurring not of madness but of absolute, absolute hatred, and we have to call that hatred out and confront it."
Biden then launched into an impassioned condemnation of some of Trump's more controversial comments.
"When you give a safe harbor to hate from the Oval Office, it gives license to extremism all across the country," Biden said. He added that although he did not feel Trump was personally responsible, he felt the words of the president had significant influence.
Biden touched on a number of other topics, including immigration. Although his comments were brief, the former vice president said the country's steady stream of immigrants has consistently fueled innovation and reinvention.
On Monday, Biden will be among four presidential candidates speaking in San Diego at the annual conference of UnidosUS, the nation's largest Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization.
California Sen. Kamala Harris, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and Biden will take the stage individually and deliver remarks followed by a question-and-answer session with UnidosUS President and CEO Janet Murguia.
