Former president Barack Obama has weighed in on what may become another key election issue, following a tragic shooting at a Georgia high school that left four people dead.
News broke earlier today that two students and two teachers had died during a shooting at Apalachee High School, with nine other victims taken to hospital after sustaining injuries. The suspect is Colt Gray, a 14-year-old student of the school, and the tragedy has understandably reignited calls for stricter gun laws and firearm reforms across the country.
Addressing the shooting hours later at a rally in presidential New Hampshire, Democratic nominee Kamala Harris described the event as a “senseless tragedy”, saying it is “outrageous” that parents must send their children to school “worried about whether or not their child will come home alive.”
Harris also hit out at the pro- and anti-gun dichotomy pushed by Republicans, instead saying the way to “end this epidemic of gun violence in our country” is through implementing basic guardrails while still protecting Americans’ gun rights — as her administration plans to do. Harris’ message was supported by Obama, who repeated one of the vice president’s quotes during her rally.
“It doesn’t have to be this way,” the former president wrote alongside a clip of Harris’ speech. In his statement on Truth Social, Harris’ opponent Donald Trump said “our hearts are with the victims and loved ones of those affected” by the event, and described the shooter as “a sick and deranged monster.”
Trump’s response comes just a day after he appeared for a one-hour interview on Lex Fridman’s podcast, during which he bragged about having a “good relationship” with Russian president Vladimir Putin. The former president, who has been praised by Putin in the past, again claimed that a third World War was imminent, and said he will “have a deal made” to end the Russia-Ukraine war if he is elected in November.
“I wouldn’t talk about it too much,” Trump said, “but I think I can make a deal as President-elect.” The podcast appearance — one of multiple Trump has completed in the last few weeks — also saw the Republican candidate claim the support around Harris is just a “honeymoon period”, and that he will release the ‘Epstein list’ if he is elected (an interesting choice considering Trump once described Epstein as a “terrific guy and has been campaigning from his former private jet“)
It’s likely that gun reform and international diplomacy will be speaking points at the presidential debate, which will take place in Philadelphia on September 10 and will be hosted by ABC News.