...Trump and his allies have dismissed any suggestion that his words contributed to the violence, arguing that mental illness is to blame or pointing to the weekend’s other shooting in Dayton, Ohio, in which the shooter expressed support for Democrats. (Notably, authorities have not identified the Dayton shooter’s politics as a motivation in the attack, in contrast to El Paso.) But “individuals don’t just wake up one day and decide that they are going to commit an act of terrorism,” said J. Wells Dixon, an attorney who works on international terrorism cases. And as one of the most powerful people in the world, Trump’s words can carry substantial weight. “If you are someone who has an ax to grind or feels aggrieved or persecuted in your whiteness, for example, hearing the president say these things validates your feelings and it provides, in your own warped mind, an excuse to go out and act on your grievances.” ...

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