Congressman and Florida gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds (R-FL) criticized national Democrats for ignoring the mental health crisis in America after a transgender shooter murdered two children and left 17 people injured at the Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis on Wednesday.
Speaking to Laura Ingraham on Fox News, Rep. Donalds made his comments in response to a post from former Biden White House Press Secretary and current MSNBC Host Jen Psaki, in which she criticized President Donald Trump for his law enforcement takeover of Washington, D.C., instead of focusing on the causes of yesterday's shooting.
Donalds called Psaki a "hack trying to make a political point."
"The reality is, the tragedy that occurred today in Minneapolis is once again where the Democrats are ignoring some of the serious mental health challenges affecting young people in the United States, especially around gender identity, this transgender movement that they have fully gotten behind," Donalds said.
According to multiple reports, the shooter, identified as 23-year-old Robin Westman, was born a male, having been Robert Westman at birth. A name change was approved for Westman by a Minnesota district court in 2020.
Westman, before the shooting, posted a bizarre manifesto on YouTube showing an arsenal of guns while laughing manically. Writings on the guns' magazines were also adorned with hateful anti-religious rhetoric and other disturbing markings.
"I mean, look at the magazines. What was written on these magazines, talking about going after Christians, where is your God?" Donalds continued. "Going after Israel, asking, actually writing there to kill Donald Trump. This is the insanity from the hatred that has come from the left."
Donalds also criticized Democrats for their reaction to the strategy, with some quickly calling for more gun control.
"It's not the time for politics. It's about comforting the families who have lost two young kids and then examining all the public policy so that this doesn't happen again," Donalds said. "And I will tell you once again, this is not about guns. This is about mental health issues that the radical left refuses to acknowledge - comes from their crazy ideology, which is damaging so many children in the United States who are now becoming young young adults."
