It’s still early when it comes to determining the motives behind the Orlando nightclub shooting. The shooter apparently pledged his allegiance to ISIS when he called 911 about what he did, while his father suggested that witnessing two gay men kissing was the motivating factor. No matter how complicated the story behind this tragedy is, Donald Trump is here to make it simply about “Islamic terrorism” and the Democrats’ incompetence, as he showed on Twitter.
Trump’s first tweet about the shooting came on Sunday afternoon:
Horrific incident in FL. Praying for all the victims & their families. When will this stop? When will we get tough, smart & vigilant?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 12, 2016
The tweet starts out very general, so if you didn’t know anything about Donald Trump, he could be talking about anything from the lack of gun control in our nation, to the fact that an LGBT nightclub was targeted.
By the second tweet, around an hour later, Trump clearly defined that he was talking about “Islamic terrorism.”
Appreciate the congrats for being right on radical Islamic terrorism, I don't want congrats, I want toughness & vigilance. We must be smart!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 12, 2016
He accused Obama of ignoring this as a problem again, even though Obama did make a speech calling the tragedy an “act of terror.”
Is President Obama going to finally mention the words radical Islamic terrorism? If he doesn't he should immediately resign in disgrace!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 12, 2016
He then tweets information about what the gunman supposedly said inside the nightclub, and he links the shooting to a breaking story of a man with a cache of weapons who said he was heading to the L.A. Pride Festival.
Reporting that Orlando killer shouted "Allah hu Akbar!" as he slaughtered clubgoers. 2nd man arrested in LA with rifles near Gay parade.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 12, 2016
Police do not believe that the suspect in L.A. is linked to the nightclub shooting, but that won’t stop Trump from claiming that he’s the presidential candidate to make America safe. So he retweets a supporter who has put her faith in him:
"@WandaWalls20: @realDonaldTrump Please make us safe. We cannot have Hillary as president. We will be in so much trouble.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 12, 2016
Of course, Trump’s suggestion to make America safe after the San Bernardino shooting was a travel ban on Muslims entering the United States. It’s surprising that he hasn’t repeated that call yet on Twitter.
The Democratic candidates have released formal statements about the shootings.
All Americans are horrified, disgusted and saddened by the horrific atrocity in Orlando. Full statement: pic.twitter.com/ci5kxXKSyZ
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) June 12, 2016
Bernie Sanders’ statement is more measured than Trump’s, offering condolences while waiting for more information on whether the shooting was an act of terrorism, a hate crime or both. Hillary Clinton’s is a little stronger:
Though she says that “we will learn more” about the shooting, she also pledges her commitment to protecting the LGBT community, fighting terrorism, and promoting gun control. This seems like a strong, but more dignified way to go when speaking out about a mass shooting, rather than crowing, “I told you so,” as Trump did.