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Trump’s Tweet Commemorating The Pulse Shooting Backfires

Not the reaction he was expecting

Donald Trump

On Monday, hundreds of mourners returned to Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida where one year ago, Omar Mateen killed 49 people and injured another 68. The now-shuttered LGBT nightclub was surrounded by dozens of people dressed as angels while survivors hugged and recalled the events of that tragic night. President Trump marked the anniversary with a tweet honoring those who died.


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But his remembrance rang hollow given his initial reaction to the shooting one year ago.

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Trump used the tragic event to praise himself for “being right on radical Islamic terrorism.” At the time of the shooting, Trump was rightfully criticized for proposing a ban on Muslims entering the United States after the ISIS- inspired San Bernardino, California shooting the previous December. Trump’s self-praise was ill-informed, being that a travel ban wouldn’t have prevented the Orlando shooting because Omar Mateen was born in the United States.

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Most, if not all, of the Pulse victims were members of the LGBT community, a group that Trump has failed to support after claiming that he’d be a “friend.” His administration revoked protections for transgender students and he is considering a “religious liberty” executive order that would legalize LGBTQ discrimination. Trump’s choice for Vice-President, Mike Pence, was also a slap in the face to the LGBT community. Pence has a long-history of supporting anti-LGBT policies and once said that gay couples signaled a “societal collapse.”

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On the last day of May, Trump issued five separate proclamations choosing June to honor Caribbean-American heritage, African-American music, homeownership, the outdoors, and the ocean. But he failed to mention LGBT Pride Month, breaking a tradition set by president Barack Obama.

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