Santa Fe shooting victim's mother says talking to President Trump 'was like talking to a toddler'
Mother of one of the Santa Fe school shooting's victims was reportedly not impressed when she met President Donald Trump last week on Thursday, likening the entire experience to "talking to a toddler."
The mass shooting at Santa Fe High School in Texas was the second deadliest school shootings this year so far, which left 10 people dead and 13 wounded. The deadliest was the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school in Parkland, Florida, which claimed 17 lives. The victims mostly included students and teachers.
President Trump met with the victims, families and other people affected by the Texas school shooting. However, it appeared that a pattern of the Republican failing to show empathy during tragedies continued. He was photographed at a White House listening session, shortly after the Parkland shooting with a notecard reminding him to tell the victims and their families that "I hear you."
Rhonda Hart, whose daughter, Kimberly Vaughan, was among the students who died at the Santa Fe school shooting said that Trump, during the meeting, repeatedly brought up arming teachers with weapons, according to the Associated Press.
Hart added that the Republican also focused on the shooter and his appearance and described him as "wacky." The meeting was closed to reporters.
White House's deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley later told the reporters aboard Air Force One that the president's meeting with the victims and the families was "very impactful" and "a very emotional time," according to reports.
Gidley said: "I don’t want to get into the private meeting as it relates to the grieving families that experienced such a horrific tragedy. But it was very impactful. It was a very emotional time. They’ve suffered a great loss and a great tragedy. And out of respect for them and the grieving process, I’m not going to get into the details of the meeting."
There have been other instances where victims of tragedies have pointed out feeling unimpressed by the president during his consolation trips and meetings.
One of the survivors of the Parkland shooting, Samantha Fuentes, while talking to The New York Times said Trump "didn’t make me feel better in the slightest” and that she had “never been so unimpressed by a person in my life."
Trump, while traveling to hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico last year, had downplayed the damage in the island which had no electricity for months and said it was not "a real catastrophe like Katrina." He reportedly also told a family during his trip to "have a good time." He was also photographed throwing paper towels to residents at a church and his overall visit was criticized by many.
Although Hart did not particularly enjoy her interaction with the president, there were other attendees of the Thursday meeting who responded positively to the interaction.
John Tisdale, the brother-in-law of deceased substitute art teacher Cynthia Tisdale, in a Facebook post after the meeting, wrote that his brother William, "enjoyed meeting President Trump Thursday."