President Donald Trump promised to tackle school safety and the difficult issue of mental health in response to the deadly shooting in Florida, but he did not mention the scourge of gun violence, Associated Press reports. The president spoke in a careful way and even addressed kids who may feel lost, alone, confused or scared.
“I want you to know that you are never alone and you never will be. You have people who care about you, who love you, and who will do anything at all to protect you,” he said.
Although he emphasized the importance of mental health and school safety improvements, his latest budget request would slash Medicaid and cut school safety programs by more than a third. Medicaid is a major source of federal funding for treating mental health problems. Trump has also signed a resolution blocking a rule that was designed to keep guns out of the hands of certain mentally disabled people.
Seventeen people lost their lives and 14 more were injured after a former student with an AR-15 rifle opened fire at a high school in Parkland, Florida. This was the deadliest school shooting since a gunman attacked an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, more than five years ago.
Trump said that he planned to visit the grieving community, but it is still not known when that would happen. Many people want tougher firearm restrictions and did not like Trump’s silence on guns. At the same time, the White House stated that Trump wanted to keep his remarks focused on the victims. According to White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the point was to talk about grief and show compassion in the unifying country.
The president said he wanted to work to create a culture that embraces the dignity of life, pledged to work with state and local officials to help secure schools and tackle the difficult issue of mental health. He emphasized that safe schools would be a key focus when he meets with governors and state attorneys general this month.
Before he became a candidate, Trump favored tighter gun regulations, but he embraced gun rights as a candidate. The National Rifle Association spent about 30 million dollars in support of Trump’s campaign.
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