In a speech on Monday, the president said that the United States is “overcome with shock” and that he and his wife “join all Americans in praying and grieving for the victims, their families and the survivors.
“These barbaric slaughters are an assault upon our communities, an attack upon our nation, and a crime against all of humanity,” he said.
He also used the platform to condemn the Internet and social media.
“We must recognize that the Internet has provided a dangerous avenue to radicalize disturbed minds and perform demented acts,” the president said. “We must shine light on the dark recesses of the Internet and stop mass murders before they start.
“The perils of the Internet and social media cannot be ignored, and they will not be ignored,” Trump said.
At the same time, he called out a “glorification of violence” in American society, including “gruesome video games that are now commonplace.
“It is too easy today for troubled youth to surround themselves with a culture that celebrates violence. We must stop or substantially reduce this, and it has to begin immediately,” the president continued. “Cultural change is hard, but each of us can choose to build a culture that celebrates the inherent worth and dignity of every human life. That’s what we have to do.”
Trump also said that the country would need to reform its mental health laws to better identify mentally disturbed individuals who may commit acts of violence and make sure they not only get treatment but also, as necessary, involuntary confinements.
“Mental hate and illness pull the trigger, not the gun,” he said. “It is not up to mentally ill monsters; it is up to us.”
America is not powerless. "We must honor the sacred memory of those we have lost by acting as one people . . . We must seek real, bipartisan solutions." pic.twitter.com/PECJGG2g7K
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) August 5, 2019