2020 candidates directly call out Trump in the wake of two mass shootings

America has had 251 mass shootings in the 216 days of 2019, and with each devastating news cycle it gets harder and harder to accept the fact that President Donald Trump tweets "thoughts and prayers" instead of taking any real action on gun control.

In the wake of a recent mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, and another in Dayton, Ohio — which took place in the same 24-hour period — 2020 presidential candidates Beto O'Rourke, Cory Booker, Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, and Pete Buttigieg are stepping up to directly call out Trump's inaction and the impact that his hateful rhetoric has on this country.

After reports that 20 people had been killed and more than two dozen had been injured in a mass shooting that took place in a shopping center, O'Rourke made his way home to El Paso.

In an interview with CNN, the 2020 candidate bluntly called out Trump's past actions toward immigrants and said of the president, "He is a racist and he stokes racism in this country and it does not just offend our sensibilities; it fundamentally changes the character of this country. And it leads to violence."

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O'Rourke also referenced reports from the El Paso Police Department, which claim that a hate-filled, anti-immigrant manifesto may be linked to the shooter. And in a later interview, O'Rourke said that he believes President Trump is a "white nationalist."

In her own response to the two shootings, Sen. Harris tweeted a message to Trump on gun violence.

"Have the courage to act. Do something. Do something. Because when I'm elected president, I'm going to do something," Harris can be seen saying in the clip.

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She also noted that prayers are not enough in tragic times like these, and that it's crucial we take action to prevent mass shootings from happening again.

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Like O'Rourke, Sen. Cory Booker spoke out about Trump's use of words like "infestation" and "shithole countries." He also acknowledged Trump's past refusal to condemn the actions of Neo-Nazis and white supremacists.

"Trump is giving license to this kind of violence. He's responsible," Booker tweeted.

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Sen. Elizabeth Warren also tweeted in response to the shootings, writing, "We need to call out the president himself for advancing racism and white supremacy."

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And Mayor Pete Buttigieg questioned whether President Trump would "leave his gold resort, go back to Washington, address the nation, condemn — in no uncertain terms— white nationalism, and call for the Senate to convene" to enact gun safety reforms ASAP.

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Bernie Sanders also called out the need to "come together and reject this dangerous culture of bigotry espoused by Trump and his allies," while many others tweeted about the need for stronger gun control and urged Congress and the Senate to take action.

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The fact that several 2020 candidates made the effort to use their platforms to directly address Trump on his favorite social media site was especially powerful. As Trump's opponents continue to call him out for inaction, he's remained relatively quiet on social media.

His last tweet, which came four hours before the time of writing this article, simply said "God bless the people of El Paso Texas. God Bless the people of Dayton, Ohio."

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We're far beyond well-meaning, powerless tweets at this point, Trump.