It is often the role of presidents and other political leaders to calm the public and reassure them following disastrous and tragic events. Barack Obama, in particular, was great at this, especially after the Sandy Hook shooting and other such mass-casualty killings.
Donald Trump, however, isn’t so great at that. When tragedy strikes, he tends to either say something weird or blame a favored political enemy, whether it’s Muslims (for the San Bernardino shooting) or the Chinese (for COVID.)
Tragedy struck the Florida State University campus in Tallahassee on Thursday, as a shooter opened fire. Per NBC News, at least one student is dead and several more were injured. While it was initially reported that there were two shooters at the scene, authorities now say there was only one perpetrator.
Florida State has canceled all classes and events for the day.
“Individuals not already on the main campus at this time should avoid coming to the Tallahassee main campus,” the school says on its advisory website. https://t.co/jJhQhmfuh4
— NBC News (@NBCNews) April 17, 2025
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One student described the shooter as “a normal college dude,” and added that “I was walking and this guy pulls up in an orange Hummer… and he gets out with a rifle and shoots in my direction.”
One person is in custody, although their identity has not been disclosed.
Meanwhile, the president addressed the situation in the Oval Office on Thursday.
Trump on the FSU Student Union school shooting: “Things like this take place” pic.twitter.com/e1jvO6ltWv
— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) April 17, 2025
“I’ve been briefed on the Florida State University, Tallahassee, active shooting. I guess it’s an active shooter,” Trump said at the White House. “Fully briefed as to where we are right now… It’s a shame. Horrible thing. Horrible that things like this take place. And we’ll have more to say about it later.”
It was clear that no policy changes will be made as a result of this shooting, or any other recent one.
Just as in the case earlier this week when a fire was set at the governor’s mansion in Pennsylvania, in what has been characterized by law enforcement as an assassination attempt on Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro, we now begin the unsavory process of everyone along the ideological spectrum waiting for demographic and ideological information about the shooting, so they can proceed to make political hay out it. And if that fails, to create false conspiracy theories, like the many that have emerged surrounding the assassination attempt on Trump last summer.
Photo courtesy of an X screenshot.
