Trump in Las Vegas: America truly a nation in mourning

Team Udayavani, Oct 5, 2017, 9:48 AM IST

Washington: With his countrymen still coming to grips with the deadliest mass shooting in Las Vegas early this week, US President Donald Trump has said America is truly a nation in mourning as he thanked the first responders who rushed to save lives.

Trump travelled to Las Vegas yesterday to meet with first responders and victims of the mass shooting in the casino city. In the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history, at least 59 people were killed and over 500 injured after a gunman on the 32nd floor of a hotel and casino opened fire on people at an outdoor country music festival below.

Surrounded by first responders, a somber looking Trump accompanied with the First Lady consoled the nation.
“The mass murder that took place on Sunday night fills America’s heart with grief. America is truly a nation in mourning,” Trump said in his remarks. The President returned to White House late evening. He also visited injured in hospital. He spoke of Charleston Hartfield, an off-duty police officer who died in the massacre. “We cannot be defined by the evil that threatens us. … We are defined by our love, our caring and our courage….,” he said.

“Words cannot describe the bravery that the whole world witnessed on Sunday night,” he said during a brief speech at the Las Vegas Police Department Command Centre. Trump said the Americans defied death and hatred with love and courage and thanked the first responders on the behalf of the “grateful nation”.

“In the months ahead, we will all have to wrestle with the horror of what has unfolded this week, but we will struggle through it together, we will endure the pain together, and we will overcome together as Americans,” Trump said. The US president however refrained from talking about gun control laws, the debate over which has rekindled in the aftermath of the shooting. “We’re not going to talk about that today,” he said.