Trump Arrives At Pittsburgh Synagogue; Locals Protest

PITTSBURGH, PA – President Donald Trump is visiting Pittsburgh Tuesday but not everyone is happy that he's coming as a dark, sad emotional cloud remains over the Steel City. Some folks, including Mayor Bill Peduto, have said they prefer the president stay away.

Air Force One landed about 3:50 p.m. to deliver the president, who will meet with leaders of the local Jewish community in the wake of the horrific slaughter of 11 people at the Tree of Life synagogue on Saturday. His visit is tentatively scheduled just hours after the first funeral, for brothers David and Cecil Rosenthal.

The president and some of the first family arrived at the Tree of Life synagogue around 4:40 p.m. Tuesday and stayed for about 30 minutes. They went into the synagogue, but were kept away from the area where the 11 victims were killed because it's still an active crime scene.

Soon after 5 p.m., the president and first lady laid stones from the White House and white flowers on the Stars of David set up to honor the 11 lives lost. Rabbi Jeffrey Myers, of the Tree of Life congregation, accompanied the two. They left the synagogue around 5:10 p.m.

Many people hold Trump responsible for fueling the anger that has led to violence across the United States. Here in Pittsburgh, many would just like it if he stay away until families and the community have time to grieve. In the wake of the shooting, the president tweeted out support victims and first responders. However, he quickly shifted his focus to blaming the media for fueling the anger in the nation.

Trump is to arrive at Pittsburgh International Airport at 3:45 p.m., and he will motorcade to the city as the afternoon rush hour begins. Other than a plan to visit with injured officers at UPMC Presbyterian, specific details, including where he'll go and who he will visit, have not been revealed. At least one protest has been organized for the corner of Forbes Avenue and Beechwood Boulevard at 4 p.m. Tuesday.

Patch is live at the protest scene:

Chris Music, of Shadyside, said "I don't like the hateful rhetoric that comes out of [President Trump's] mouth. It is detrimental to the country." Music says he's never been to a protest in his life, but "decided when a horrific event like this happens in my backyard, it’s time for me to take a stand."

>>> Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting Funerals Begin Tuesday

Mayor Peduto on Monday sent word to the White House encouraging that the president and his staff contact the families of the victims of the Tree of Life massacre and consult with them before he comes to southwest Pennsylvania, according to The Post-Gazette. He also noted that having the president in the city during the funerals will be a distraction and could severely tax the city's public safety forces.

Peduto says he wants safety forces focused on the families and community.

"Our attention and focus is going to be on them, and we don’t have Public Safety that we can take away from what is needed in order to be at both," Peduto said.

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White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said during a daily press briefing on Monday that Trump would go to Pittsburgh "to express the support of the American people and to grieve with the Pittsburgh community."

Gov. Tom Wolf and Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, as well as Peduto, have declined to meet with Trump during his visit. CNN reported this morning that several congressional leaders, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Majority Leader Paul Ryan have declined an invitation from Trump to visit Pittsburgh with him. First lady Melania Trump, his daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, are to join the president.

Meanwhile, one person who is receptive to the president's visit is Rabbi Jeffrey Myers, the rabbi of the Tree of Life synagogue, where the deadly attack took place. He told CNN that Trump is welcome to visit.

“The President of the United States is always welcome,” Myers told CNN. “I’m a citizen. He’s my president. He’s certainly welcome.”

On Monday, the man responsible for the massacre, Robert Bowers, 46, of Pittsburgh, was in federal court for an initial hearing. Shackled and in a wheelchair after being wounded by police, the accused gunman was informed of the murder and hate crime charges against him.

Police say that he entered the Tree of Life synagogue just before 10 a.m. on Saturday, armed with an AR-15 and three handguns. The accused gunman shot and killed 11 people and wounded six others, including four police officers, before police stopped him, according to federal court documents.

More photos from the protest:

Top photo: In this Oct. 26, 2018 photo, President Donald Trump points to the media as he speaks during a campaign rally in Charlotte, N.C. Trump is accusing the media of being “the true Enemy of People” in the wake of a mass shooting and a mail bomb plot. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

Some information for this story came from the Associated Press.