Trump meets Florida shooting victims, first responders

POMPANO BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump came face-to-face Friday with hospitalized victims of the horrific college shooting in Florida and provided due to the the doctors and nurses who helped the wounded, declaring « the job they’ve completed is exceptional. »

Asked if he’d talked with victims, Trump added: « I did indeed, and or now now not it is miles very unhappy one thing love that could perhaps perhaps occur. »

After paying their respects to health workers at Broward Neatly being North Sanatorium, Trump and his essential other, Melania, visited with legislation enforcement officials in Fort Lauderdale, where he told officers that he hoped they luxuriate in been « getting the credit » they deserved for his or her response to the shooting that left 17 unimaginative and 14 injured.

« I became at the scientific institution with quite quite loads of fogeys and they’re if truth be told thankful for the job that you must perhaps well luxuriate in completed, » Trump acknowledged at the Broward County Sheriff’s Location of industrial, where he became joined by Gov. Rick Scott, Sen. Marco Rubio and diversified Florida officials. He added that the young victims luxuriate in been in « if truth be told huge shape » focused on what they’ve been by design of.

Trump relished bantering and praising the legislation enforcement officials, he marveled at the coast with which first responders rushed the wounded to the scientific institution and he extended hearty due to the first responders. But the president who has never been a pure at comfort did now not publicly address the anguish and sorrow bright a afraid neighborhood and nation, beyond his point out of how unhappy it became to satisfy with victims.

Unhurried Friday, he tweeted about the school shooting: « Our total Nation, w/one heavy coronary heart, continues to hope for the victims & their families in Parkland, FL. To teachers, legislation enforcement, first responders & health workers who spoke back so bravely within the face of likelihood: We THANK YOU on your courage! » He incorporated photos of an injured young girl and her family that he and the first girl visited.

In some unspecified time in the future of his consult with, there became now now not any point out of the talk over gun legislation effect off by the shooting. The president missed a shouted quiz about whether guns must be extra tightly regulated.

Trump acknowledged he within the origin deliberate to discuss with the Parkland residence on Sunday or Monday, but determined he did now not opt to support.

But as Trump arrived in Florida, one of the most crucial fogeys, survivors and others struggling from the tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High College acknowledged they luxuriate in been extra in agency action to prevent future assaults than a presidential consult with.

« I scheme now now not opt Trump to reach but we opt extra gun security, » acknowledged 18-300 and sixty five days-outmoded Kevin Trejos, a senior at the school. « It is a dream. It hasn’t hit me but. As soon as I look empty desks, I’m going to feel it. I’m numb now. »

Trump’s advance stood in provocative incompatibility to his predecessor’s response to the shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, 5 years ago. After the Sandy Hook slayings, President Barack Obama hasty attended an emotional evening vigil in Newtown, where he learn aloud the names of every victim and promised to make use of « no matter vitality » he needed to prevent future shootings. In the wake of a mass shooting at a South Carolina church, Obama led thousands in singing « Neatly-behaved Grace. »

Trump’s consult with followed a identical script to his day out to Las Vegas within the autumn after the worst mass slaying in contemporary history. On that day out, he additionally made a consult with to a scientific institution, assembly with victims within the support of closed doorways and then extra publicly eminent first responders.

In this case, it became Rubio who spoke straight away to the raw feelings of the moment, telling Trump, « Right here’s a neighborhood and a impart that is in deep trouble and they wish action to be obvious this never occurs all any other time. »

Mrs. Trump, for her piece, thanked legislation enforcement officials « for taking care of our children » and added: « They luxuriate in been assign by design of plenty in what they luxuriate in been experiencing two days ago and we would prefer to address them. »

More than 1,000 of us had attended a candlelight vigil Thursday night reach the school, and at one point some began chanting, « No extra guns! No extra guns! »

Lori Alhadeff’s 14-300 and sixty five days-outmoded daughter Alyssa became killed at some stage within the shooting. She invoked the president’s 11-300 and sixty five days-outmoded son, Barron, as she angrily known as for support.

« President Trump, Barron goes to varsity. Let’s provide protection to Barron. And let’s additionally provide protection to all these diversified children, » she acknowledged Friday on CNN, her negate elevating to a bawl. « It is a must opt to help us, now. We need security now for all these childhood. We need action, action, action! »

Trump, who most often boasts about his make stronger for the Nationwide Rifle Association, made no point out of gun violence or any unusual measure to restrict get right to use to firearms at some stage in his remarks Friday or a day earlier. He did promise to style out college security and « the gorgeous direct of mental health. »

He additionally tweeted Friday that he became « working with Congress on many fronts, » though he provided no diminutive print.

Earlier than he became a candidate, Trump at one point liked some tighter gun rules. But he embraced gun rights as a candidate, and the NRA spent $30 million in make stronger of his advertising and marketing campaign.

The president made the day out to satisfy with first responders soon after Air Pressure One arrived in West Palm Seashore for the president to utilize the weekend at his Palm Seashore estate, which is set 40 miles from Parkland.

In a departure from the Trumps’ long-established time table, Mrs. Trump arrived at Air Pressure One one by one from her husband for the flight to Florida and boarded the plane while newshounds luxuriate in been kept away. A spokeswoman acknowledged the trade became due to the scheduling.

As he departed, Trump missed shouted questions from journalists about a document in The Recent Yorker magazine that he had an affair in 2006 with a Playboy mannequin.

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Thomas reported from Washington. AP writers Jon Lemire in Recent York, Zeke Miller, Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar and Maria Danilova in Washington and Josh Replogle in Parkland, Fla., contributed to this document.

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Observe Lucey on Twitter at http://twitter.com/@catherine_lucey and Thomas at http://twitter.com/@KThomasDC

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Link to Trump tweet on scientific institution consult with: https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/space/964724390637244417