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President flubs, calls on God to 'bless the memory of those who perished in Toledo,' instead of Dayton

Dayton also mistakenly was called 'Toledo' and 'Cleveland' during reporting Sunday by CNN, and former VP Biden also mixed up where the mass shooting happened.

TOLEDO, Ohio — In an address at the White House on Tuesday morning, President Donald Trump condemned 'racism, bigotry and white supremacy' after a weekend of mass shootings, and also asked God to "bless the memory of those who perished in Toledo," instead of Dayton.  

"May God bless the memory of those who perished in Toledo. May God protect them," the president said, wrapping up his speech in the Diplomatic Room. "May God protect all of those from Texas to Ohio. May God bless the victims and their families. May God bless America. Thank you very much. Thank you."

The president meant to refer to Dayton, where a shooter killed nine people in the Oregon District on Sunday morning, before the shooter was killed by police.

The president read the speech from a prompter, though it was unclear if the prepared remarks included "Toledo," or if the president misspoke.

Social media was abuzz after the flub, with reactions ranging from forgiving to angry. U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, a Democrat from Ohio and presidential candidate, didn't mince words in a tweet. 

Mayor of Dayton Nan Whaley told The Hill she didn't get a call from the president telling her he was headed to Dayton Wednesday, but sarcastically said he might end up going to Toledo instead. 

Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz released this statement in response:

“It’s pretty obvious the President misspoke this morning, and that happens to all of us from time to time. Nevertheless, Toledo is happy to accept his prayers, even if they were meant for Dayton.

 As Mayor, my prayer is that our leaders in Washington finally summon the courage to do something — frankly, anything — to stop the senseless mass slaughter that continues to occur in our country.

 We remain the only country on Planet Earth where mass shootings continue to happen on a regular basis. This doesn’t happen frequently in other parts of the world. Why do we allow it to happen here?

 We are the greatest nation on earth, and we can do anything when we put our minds to it. Americans are desperate for a solution. If only our leaders in Washington felt the same urgency.”

The flub wasn't limited to the president, as two CNN employees also failed to get the city in Ohio correct during their reports on Sunday. Jake Tapper and Jim Sciutto mistakenly called Dayton "Toledo" and "Cleveland," respectively.  

And former VP Joe Biden on Sunday night made a mistake when discussing the shootings. The 2020 Democratic presidential candidate referred to "tragic events" in Houston and Michigan before he corrected himself. 

Some on social media pushed back on criticism of the president's flub, noting that it was unfair to focus on just one portion of the speech. Others found the flub to demonstrate a lack of understanding or caring. 

A correction or explanation from the White House or White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham was not immediately issued. 

RELATED: Trump condemns 'racism, bigotry and white supremacy' after weekend of shootings

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