Late Monday morning, America was struck with a devastating blow after three children and three adults were shot and killed in a mass school shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee. The tragedy has rocked the nation, and caused virtually every celebrity like Stephen King, politician like Marjorie Taylor Greene, and activist like George Takei to speak out in favor of, or in opposition to, gun reform. That is, except for Donald Trump.
In the over six hours since the shooter, identified as Audrey Hale, was apprehended and killed by local Nashville authorities, Trump has not spoken out once about the catastrophic mass shooting. He has published close to half a dozen posts on his Truth Social account and shockingly, they’re all about him.
Trump’s posts have ranged from 2024 election discourse, his hush money allegations against adult film entertainer Stormy Daniels, his imminent Fox News interview with Sean Hannity, and yes, even a book review for his upcoming book Letters To Trump.
“Big Hannity interview tonight at 9PM Eastern—Enjoy!” wrote Trump in one of his posts alongside a photo of himself and Hannity sitting across from one another in a dimly lit wood-paneled room. This was over five hours after the Covenant School shooting.
It’s a political precedent for former presidents to speak out on important American issues as they arise, especially among those who just recently filled the position. In the seven years since he held executive office, President Obama’s finger has remained on the pulse of the country. So, too, has George W. Bush’s, although to a slightly lesser degree.
Both Obama and Bush, as well as Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, have yet to speak out about the Covenant School shooting. With Carter currently in hospice care, his silence is not only understandable but warranted. As for the remaining former presidents — historically, any and all comments surrounding big issues such as these come following a brief silence in which they and their team collect their thoughts, gather their opinions, and put them into a formal statement.
As the country’s most recent Chief Executive, Trump’s decision to not only ignore the Covenant School shooting but instead focus solely on himself reiterates the kind of disappointing deviations he has long made — and continues to make — throughout his political tenure. These many years in, it’s hard to feel surprised — and we’re truly not — yet nevertheless, it is still disappointing.