Donald Trump responds to Capital Gazette shooting
President Donald Trump responded Friday to the “targeted attack” on the Capital Gazette newsroom, saying journalists shouldn’t have to be fearful of being attacked while doing their jobs.
“This attack shocked the conscience of our nation and filled our hearts with grief,” Trump said. “Journalists like all Americans should be free of the fear of being violently attacked while doing their jobs.”
Trump has regularly criticized journalists, ramping up his rhetoric as president. At several rallies, he has referred to journalists as “the enemy of the people.”
Trump first offered his “thoughts and prayers” to victims of the Capital Gazette newsroom shooting on Thursday. A video shared by NBC News showed him silently walking past reporters as they shouted questions at him about the shooting.
Police identified the suspect as Jarrod Ramos, 38, who had filed a defamation lawsuit against the paper and a columnist in 2012 over an article about a criminal harassment case against him.
Trump has cited mental illness in the past when responding to mass shootings. Following the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, earlier this year, he repeatedly said that the shooter was “mentally disturbed” instead of commenting on the state’s gun laws.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
