DONALD TRUMP HAS been criticised for implying President Obama ‘gets’ the Florida shooting more than the public knows.
The presumptive Republican presidential nominee had previously called for Obama to resign in the wake of 49 people being killed, and more than 50 injured, at a gay nightclub in Orlando – the worst mass shooting in US history.
In an interview with Fox News yesterday, Trump said: “[Obama] doesn’t get it or he gets it better than anybody understands — it’s one or the other and either one is unacceptable.”
“Look, we’re led by a man that either is not tough, not smart, or he’s got something else in mind. And the something else in mind — you know, people can’t believe it.”
People cannot, they cannot believe that President Obama is acting the way he acts and can’t even mention the words radical Islamic terrorism. There’s something going on. It’s inconceivable. There’s something going on.
As a result of their coverage of his comments, Trump has banned journalists from the Washington Post from getting press credentials to attend his rallies.
https://www.facebook.com/DonaldTrump/posts/10157164117925725
He somewhat softened his stance on Obama in a later interview with NBC News, saying:
Well, there are a lot of people that think maybe he doesn’t want to get it. A lot of people think maybe he doesn’t want to know about it. I happen to think that he just doesn’t know what he’s doing. But there are many people that think maybe he doesn’t want to get it. He doesn’t want to see what’s really happening.
Trump has suggested Obama is not Christian on several occasions, and questioned his compassion towards Muslims.
Islamic State
The shooter, Omar Mateen, pledged allegiance to the so-called Islamic State (IS) in a phone call to emergency services during the standoff.
His father, Seddique Mir Mateen, told reporters the massacre was “the act of a terrorist”, but said he believed his son was primarily motivated by a hatred of gay people.
“I apologise for what my son did. I am as sad and mad as you guys are.”
Obama said the tragedy is “as far as we can tell right now … an example of the kind of homegrown extremism that all of us have been so concerned about for a very long time”.
It appears that the shooter was inspired by various extremist information that was disseminated over the internet.
He said the US has to “go after” terrorist organisations like IS and “hit them hard”, while also looking into tougher gun laws.
Mateen was investigated by the FBI but still bought guns legally last week.
- Contains reporting from AP
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