Barack Obama: Americans must not let racist views become normalized

Former President Barack Obama said Monday, in his first public statement since a pair of mass shootings in Texas and Ohio, that Americans must "soundly reject langu" from any leer who "feeds a climate of fear and hatred or rmalizes racist sentiments." 

statement, which did t mention President Donald Trump directly, also reminded Americans that "we are t helpless" in face of nation's high frequency of mass shootings compared to or countries.

"And until all of us stand up and insist on holding public officials accountable for changing our gun laws, se trdies will keep happening," Obama wrote. A shooting at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, on Saturday killed 22 people, and a second shooting outside a crowded bar in Dayton, Ohio, early Sunday killed nine people. 

suspect in El Paso massacre posted a racist, anti-immigrant screed shortly before attack, investigators say. motive of Dayton shooter, who died in attack, isn't yet clear.

Obama, like many presidents before him, has exerted caution as he avoids pointed criticism of his successor. But his Monday comments left little doubt that his urging to reject rmalization of racism referred to Trump who has spoken disparagingly about immigrants, calling m rapists and murderers and has decried an "invasion" at sourn border. 

Trump has previously tempered his criticism of white supremacy, though he said in scripted remarks to nation earlier Monday that nation "must condemn racism, bigotry and white supremacy." 

He also said he h directed FBI to examine steps to identify and dress domestic terrorism. former president ted that El Paso shooting followed a trend of "troubled individuals who embrace ideologies and see mselves obligated to act violently to preserve white supremacy." 

Obama vised Americans to also deunce langu of "leers who demonize those who don't look like us, or suggest that or people, including immigrants, threaten our way of life, or refer to or people as sub-human." 

Such langu has "been at root of most human trdy throughout history," Obama ded, and has " place in our politics and our public life."