President Trump Sent "Thoughts & Prayers" To The California Synagogue Shooting Victims
President Donald Trump is sharing his condolences in light of a deadly shooting at a California synagogue on the final day of Passover. Trump's response to the synagogue shooting in Poway, California on Saturday, April 27 aired his deepest sympathies in light of the possible hate crime.
On Saturday, news broke that a man had attacked the Congregation of Chabad in Poway, leaving one person dead and several injured, per CNN. Poway Mayor Steve Vaus called the attack a possible hate crime "because of statements that were made when the shooter entered" the premises, according to CNN. There isn't much more known about the shooting at this time, but police said they have taken a suspect into custody. The tragedy comes almost eight months after the deadly shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh left eleven people dead and several others injured in what was the deadliest attack on the Jewish community in the United States.
Shortly after the attack, the POTUS took to Twitter that afternoon to reflect on the tragedy with a statement that congratulated law enforcement while sending "thoughts and prayers" to the victims of the shooting as well as their friends and family. He wrote:
Thoughts and prayers to all of those affected by the shooting at the Synagogue in Poway, California. God bless you all. Suspect apprehended. Law enforcement did outstanding job. Thank you!
Meanwhile, Trump reportedly told reporters on Saturday, "At this moment it looks like a hate crime, but my deepest sympathies to all of those affected and we'll get to the bottom of it," according to CNN. The president's comments come one day after he spoke at an event for the NRA. He told the cheering crowd that the U.S. would be withdrawing from an international treaty intended to regulate the multi-billion dollar arms trade, according to The New York Times.
"Under my administration, we will never surrender American sovereignty to anyone," he reportedly told the crowd. "We will never allow foreign bureaucrats to trample on your Second Amendment freedom."
The president's recent remarks mirror some that he made after October's Tree of Life shooting. Last year, Trump told reporters that the deadly attack might have had a different outcome if an armed guard was present and that shooters who target places of worship should get the death penalty.
"When people do this, they should get the death penalty," he said. "Anybody that does a thing like this to innocent people that are in temple or in church ... they should be suffering the ultimate price, they should pay the ultimate price." Elite Daily previously reached out to the White House for clarification of President Trump's remarks, but did not hear back at the time of publication.
Considering the fact that this is just one of many mass shootings that have happened this year, many commenters slammed the president's "thoughts and prayers" rhetoric in favor of real change, namely working with Congress to roll out common sense gun laws.
Saturday's shooting has yet to officially be ruled a hate crime, but only time will tell whether the president chooses to consider gun control legislation when more information comes forth.
