White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders shared Wednesday that the president will “personally offer his condolences and support” to the families as he visits Houston for a campaign fundraiser.
Before boarding a plane Thursday, Trump told reporters that he and his camp were “going to have a little fun today.”
The visit takes place almost two weeks after the May 18th tragedy which left 10 dead and 13 injured. The shooting led Gov. Greg Abbott to adopt a plan to strengthen school security in Texas. In response to the massacre, Trump vowed that his administration is “determined to do everything in our power to protect our students, secure our schools, and to keep weapons out of the hands of those who pose a threat to themselves and others.”"We are going to Dallas, we are going to Houston. We are going to have a little fun today. Thank you very much," President Trump says as he head to Texas to meet with the families of Santa Fe school shooting victims https://t.co/LJJOcM4YsX pic.twitter.com/2sDFcgdoCX
— CBS News (@CBSNews) May 31, 2018
Trump’s trip to Texas mirrors his meeting with the victims of the Sutherland Springs shooting, in which the president invited members of the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs to attend a prayer service held on the National Day of Prayer. Following the November shooting, which is the fifth deadliest mass shooting in modern history, Trump sent Vice President Mike Pence in his place to meet with the families.
Thursday's visit will be Trump's first time back in Texas since meeting with emergency management officials following Hurricane Harvey, and will mark the second time he's visited the state in response to a crisis since taking office.
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