Article snippet: on Monday, despite local officials' concern about such a visit. During a rare news briefing, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Monday said the Trumps are visiting "to express the support of the American people and grieve with the Pittsburgh community." The trip comes amid a nationwide controversy over the president's heated rhetoric and how much it has fueled political and religious divisions. Sanders became emotional while delivering a lengthy defense of Trump's feelings toward the Jewish community, noting he is "the grandfather of several Jewish grandchildren." "The president cherishes the American Jewish community for everything it stands for and contributes to our country," she said. Sanders called the killing of nearly a dozen worshippers at the Tree of Life Synagogue as an "atrocity" and "a chilling act of mass murder." "We all have a duty to confront anti-Semitism in all its forms and everywhere and anywhere it appears," she said. "The American people reject hatred, bigotry, prejudice and violence." But she also forcefully pushed back against criticism that Trump has not done enough to denounce anti-Semitism and has fueled the toxic political atmosphere that many say served as a petri dish for this past week's violence. "The very first thing that the president did was condemn the attacks," Sanders said. "The very thing the media did was blame the president and make him responsible for these ridiculous acts. That is outrageous." Sanders ... Link to the full article to read more