Former US President Barack Obama has issued an emotional response following the horrific school shooting in Florida. And it couldn’t be more different to President Donald Trump’s.
After 17 innocents were slaughtered when a gunman opened fire on teachers and pupils at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Obama said: ‘We are grieving with Parkland. But we are not powerless. ‘Caring for our kids is our first job. ‘And until we can honestly say that we’re doing enough to keep them safe from harm, including long overdue, common-sense gun safety laws that most Americans want, then we have to change.’
The message is a stark contrast to Trump’s statement, which made no mention of gun control. Speaking from the White House, he said the nation united and grieving with ‘one heavy heart’.
Without mentioning firearms, or the fact police said suspect Nikolas Cruz used a legally obtained rifle, President Trump vowed to tackle school safety. He referred to ‘the difficult issue of mental health’ in response to the deadly shooting in Florida.
Trump spoke, apparently directly addressing children at one point who may feel ‘lost, alone, confused or even scared’. ‘I want you to know that you are never alone and you never will be,’ Trump said. ‘You have people who care about you, who love you, and who will do anything at all to protect you.’
While Trump stressed the importance of mental health and school safety improvements, his latest budget request would slash Medicaid, the major source of federal funding for treating mental health problems, and cut school safety programs by more than a third. Last year, Trump signed a resolution blocking an Obama-era rule designed to keep guns out of the hands of certain mentally disabled people.
Trump’s silence on guns was noted with displeasure by many who are seeking tougher firearm restrictions. But the White House said the president wanted to keep his remarks focused on the victims. Spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the point was “to talk about grief and show compassion in unifying the country.” Before he was a candidate, Trump at one point favored some tighter gun regulations. But he embraced gun rights as a candidate, and the National Rifle Association spent $30 million in support of his campaign