Florida School Shooting: Students Refused To Take A Photo With President Trump When He Visited The Institution
It sure looks like President Trump is not very popular among the students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
A presidential rebuff
Students who survived the deadly shooting at the school were reportedly asked to pose for a photo with Donald Trump. The president had visited the school following the massacre, but the students were not as eager to welcome him.
gettyimages
It was disclosed that two survivors, Emma Gonzalez and David Hogg, stated that they were not interested in attending a 'listening session' with Trump.
Emma confirmed to CNN that even though they had been invited, neither of them would be going.
gettyimages
Emma and David's respective viral speeches
In the past few days, both students have spoken out about their sadness and disappointment at the tragic shooting that led to the loss of 17 lives.
gettyimages
Emma lashed out at Trump who implied that classmates and neighbors of the alleged shooter, Nikolas Cruz, should have reported his odd behavior in the weeks and months preceding the incident.
So many signs that the Florida shooter was mentally disturbed, even expelled from school for bad and erratic behavior. Neighbors and classmates knew he was a big problem. Must always report such instances to authorities, again and again!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 15, 2018
She said that they brought Cruz's actions to the attention of the authorities 'time and time again', but nothing was done;
We need to pay attention to the fact that this isn’t just a mental health issue. He wouldn’t have harmed that many students with a knife.
After the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, students like Emma Gonzalez are calling on their peers around the country to demand gun reform. pic.twitter.com/Fnsboa7vil
— Vox (@voxdotcom) February 20, 2018
She went on to state that the ease with which Cruz was able to acquire a gun was what made the tragic massacre so much worse.
READ ALSO: ‘I Met A Lot Of Heroes!’ Donald Trump Visits Victims Of The Parkland Shooting In The Hospital
David, in his own speech, urged the lawmakers to do something about the tragic killing of students in schools.
Please! We are children. You guys are, like, the adults. Take action, work together, come over your politics, and get something done.
Powerful plea from a student who survived the Parkland shooting, David Hogg: “Please! We are children. You guys are, like...the adults. Take action, work together, come over your politics, and get something done.” pic.twitter.com/UcTNungORp
— Vera Bergengruen (@VeraMBergen) February 15, 2018
Apart from blaming those who know Cruz for not speaking up, Trump also accused the FBI of not having their priorities right.
Very sad that the FBI missed all of the many signals sent out by the Florida school shooter. This is not acceptable. They are spending too much time trying to prove Russian collusion with the Trump campaign - there is no collusion. Get back to the basics and make us all proud!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 18, 2018
Many people still maintain that the president is putting his focus on the wrong people, while making changes to gun regulations is the best and only way to reduce the rate of gun-related violence.
READ ALSO: Donald Trump Is Accusing FBI Of Missing Warning Signs Of Nikolas Cruz’s Plot