Ivanka Trump Is Calling For "Unity Against Hatred & Evil" Following The Pittsburgh Shooting
A deadly mass shooting at a synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on Saturday, Oct. 27 left multiple people injured and at least 11 dead. Following the shooting, many people have responded with calls for an end to the violence. Ivanka Trump's response Pittsburgh synagogue shooting is calling for Americans to "unite against hatred and evil." In the tweet posted on Saturday, she wrote:
America is stronger than the acts of a depraved bigot and anti-semite.
All good Americans stand with the Jewish people to oppose acts of terror & share the horror, disgust & outrage over the massacre in Pittsburgh. We must unite against hatred & evil.
God bless those affected
The shooting at Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh was described as a "very horrific crime scene," by Wendell D. Hissrich, Pittsburgh’s public safety director, per The New York Times. Furthermore, the publication also reported that the shooter was shouting anti-Semitic slurs during the shooting. CNN also reported that law enforcement relayed similar reports of the shooter making Semitic statements.
Trump seemed to address that issue in her response when she said, "America is stronger than the acts of a depraved bigot and anti-semite [sic]." While she denounced the acts of the shooter, Trump also used her message as a time to call for unity against acts of evil and hate.
Trump isn't the only member of the Trump family or administration to respond to the mass shooting at Tree of Life. First lady Melania Trump tweeted "My heart breaks over the news out of #Pittsburgh. The violence needs to stop. May God bless, guide & unite the United States of America."
President Donald Trump reacted to the initial news in a Twitter response saying,
Watching the events unfolding in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Law enforcement on the scene. People in Squirrel Hill area should remain sheltered. Looks like multiple fatalities. Beware of active shooter. God Bless All!
Later, President Trump told reporters, "If there was an armed guard inside the temple, they would have been able to stop him," per CNN. Elite Daily reached out to the White House for further clarification on President Trump's remarks, but did not hear back at the time of publication.
Vice President Mike Pence tweeted a video message with the caption, "What happened in Pittsburgh today was not just criminal - it was evil - an attack on innocent Americans and an assault on our Freedom of Religion. There's no place in America for violence or anti-Semitism, and this evil must end."
Press Secretary Sarah Sanders also responded to the shooting on Saturday, tweeting "Saddened and appalled by the cowardly act of evil committed at Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. We stand in total solidarity with the victims and all of the Jewish community against bigotry and hate."
The FBI is currently investigating the shooting as a hate crime, per The New York Times. The FBI website lists hate crimes as a high priority of the FBI's Civil Rights Program, noting that "groups that preach hatred and intolerance can plant the seed of terrorism here in our country."
