Donald Trump's Silence On Pride Speaks Volumes On Pulse Anniversary
A year to the day of the tragic mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, on Monday, President Donald Trump has yet to say anything about LGBTQ+ rights during the month devoted to them.
UPDATE: Trump tweeted about the Pulse shooting on Monday afternoon, but he still has not acknowledged Pride Month.
EARLIER:
June, the internationally celebrated month for recognizing the LGBTQ+ community, was in full swing when last year's shooting occurred.
As of this writing, Trump has yet to use his preferred platform -- Twitter -- in support of Pride so far this month, despite doing so for World War II veterans on Memorial Day, acknowledging Mother's Day, and even Ivanka Trump's speech at the W20 global women's development summit. This is to say nothing of Covfefe.
However, Trump did have time to make a speech at the Faith & Freedom Coalition's (FFC) Road to Majority conference on June 8, according to the White House. The FFC has been labeled a "homophobic group" for its "pro-family" and marriage conservatism beliefs and stances generally taken as anti-gay.
Trump devoted a tweet to the organization as well:
The keynote address was given by Vice President Mike Pence, who the FFC praised for being "a champion for the pro-life, pro-family, pro-economic growth movement in America."
While the Pulse shooting claimed the lives of 49 people and injured another 53, Trump reportedly did not bother to visit the memorial site 10 miles from the location of a campaign speech, The Advocate reports. He also had time, earlier this month, to make statements on the 75th Anniversary of the Battle of the Midway and National Cancer Survivors Day, among others.
Coinciding with these speeches was the Equality March for Pride and Unity in Washington D.C. on Sunday, which culminated in a rally in front of the White House, the Washington Post reports.
Trump has supporters in the LGBTQ+ community, with members of the group Gays for Trump hosting the DeploraBall around the time of his inauguration. But if his trend of silence continues, he would be the second president since Bill Clinton, who made the honorary month official in 2000, to not recognize Pride, joining President George W. Bush.
Lest we forget, Trump posted a self-congratulatory tweet for his stance on terrorism following the Pulse tragedy last year, prompting backlash:
Meanwhile, accounts such as the City of Orlando and the Orlando Police Department honored the tragedy's anniversary:
Elite Daily reached out for comment from the White House, but did not hear back at time of publication.
