A somber President Donald Trump on Monday played consoler-in-chief, ordering the flag lowered to half-staff in the wake of a one-man rampage in Las Vegas and offering a nation’s prayers to the victims.
Authorities say Stephen Paddock opened fired from his room on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, killing more than 50 people and wounding more than 500 more attending an outdoor country music festival. It was the worst mass shooting in American history.
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“He brutally murdered more than 50 people and wounded hundreds more,” Trump said in a televised address. “It was an act of pure evil.”
Trump’s four-minute speech praised the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and the first responders. He said he plans to meet with them in Las Vegas on Wednesday.
“The speed with which they acted is miraculous and prevented further loss of life,” he said. “To have found the shooter so quickly after the first shots were fired is something for which we will always be thankful and grateful. It shows what true professionalism is all about.”
Trump said he was praying for the victims and their families.
“And we ask God to help see you through this very dark period,” he said.
The president called for national unity, telling Americans the country always comes together during times of tragedy.
“At times such as these, I know we are searching for some kind of meaning in the chaos, some kind of light in the darkness. The answers do not come easy,” he said. “But we can take comfort in knowing that even the darkest space can be brightened by a single light, and even the most terrible despair can be illuminated by a single ray of hope.”
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He added: “We pray for the day where evil is banished and the innocent are safe from hatred and from fear.”
Trump said he would pray for God to give strength to grieving families.
“It is the love that defines us today and always will forever,” he said.
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