Andre and Jordan Anchondo, were among the 22 people who were killed by a mass shooter in an El Paso Walmart last week. They left behind a 2-month old baby boy.

During their visit to the victims and families of the victims in El Paso earlier this week, First Lady Melania Trump help baby Paul while President Donald Trump, always the optimist, was seen smiling next to Andre Anchondo’s older brother Tito and his sister.

Of course, the media slammed President Trump and the first lady for smiling in the photo and giving the “thumbs up” gesture, accusing them of being unsympathetic of the families and their situation.

Tito Anchondo, the uncle of baby Paul Anchondo, defended President Trump and publicly spoke out about how much he and his family appreciated the Trump’s making the trip to El Paso to be with the greiving families.

Pilot Online reported that Anchondo told The Associated Press on Friday that Trump “was just there to give his condolences and he was just being a human being.” He previously told NPR that he and his brother were Trump supporters.

“Is it that hard to try and understand that a family is trying to not be sad at a moment like this?” said Anchondo, who also appears in the photo along with his sister. “We’re trying to be as strong as we can. … My brother is gone.”

Tito Anchondo spoke with local KTSM News where he was asked what it was like to speak with President Trump during his visit to El Paso? Anchondo explained, “Him and his wife were amazing. They were very laid back. They talked to us like normal people. I told him my brother’s story, and I just wanted him to show the world that my brother’s a hero.”

“I think that shows a lot about our president. A lot of people are giving him backlash, but he obviously came out here in good faith, and he talked to each and every family,” Anchondo said. The uncle of the orphaned baby claimed that a lot of people declined the offer to come to the hospital to meet President Trump, but expressed how grateful his family was for Trump’s visit, saying, “He even held baby Paul.”

Tito was asked what it meant to the rest of his family that the Trump’s came to El Paso to meet with the families? Anchondo repsponed, “I think everyone was very happy to meet President Trump. He gave his sincerest condolences.  My dad’s a really big super Trump fan, so they were talking about businesses. Cuz my dad owns a body shop—and how Trump had bussinesses, so… It was like a conversation really. He was very sad about how everything happened to our family.”

Anchondo ended his interview by saying, “We were just grateful that he came and gave his support at this horrible time.”

The child’s parents, and about two dozen wounded when a gunman opened fire Saturday inside a Walmart packed with shoppers. Authorities say Jordan Ancondo was shielding the baby, while her husband shielded them both. The boy suffered broken fingers.

Tito Anchondo declined to describe the encounter with Trump in more detail, saying he had received death threats.

“We should be coming together as a country at this time instead of threatening each other with hate messages,” he said.

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