President Trump visited Las Vegas Wednesday, days after the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history and a day after his visit to Puerto Rico see the devastation wrought by Hurricane Maria.
“We cannot be defined by the evil that threatens us,” Mr. Trump said at his final stop after being introduced by Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval. “We’re defined by our love, our caring and our courage.”
Mr. Trump said that when the worst of humanity strikes, “the best of humanity responds” and referenced parents and spouses using their bodies to shield and protect their loved ones during the shooting.
The president and First Lady Melania Trump went to University Medical Center’s trauma center to meet with and console some of the victims of the massacre, and also paid a visit to first responders, whose actions prevented even more casualties. The two were accompanied by House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-California, and Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Nevada. Constituents of both were killed or injured in the attack.
On Sunday night, Stephen Paddock, perched on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel on the Las Vegas strip, shot and killed 59 people, and wounded over 500 before killing himself.
As the president departed the White House, he told reporters, “It’s a very sad thing. We are going to pay our respects and to see the police who have done really a fantastic job in a very short time.” He also said officials were learning “a lot more” about the shooter, Stephen Paddock, and that information about him would be released “at an appropriate time.” “It’s a very, very sad day for me, personally,” the president said.
On Tuesday, the president called the shooting an “act of pure evil” and said, “I know we are searching for some kind of meaning in the chaos, some kind of light in the darkness. The answers do not come easy.”
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