President Barack Obama will be spending most of Thursday afternoon in Orlando, Fla., meeting with the families of the victims of the horrific mass shooting that occurred over the weekend at a gay nightclub.
According to the White House, both the president and Vice President Joe Biden will “meet with families of victims of the attack and stand in solidarity with the Orlando community.”
At a press briefing Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said, “The president certainly wants to offer his condolences and comfort to the families of those who were killed and to those who survived.”
Earnest said that the president will also be talking to first responders, medical professionals and all those who “acted heroically, courageously and, in some cases, with disregard for their own safety to try to save innocent lives.”
“The president wants to thank them for those demonstrations of professionalism and courage and patriotism,” Earnest added. “So this will be, I think, an emotional trip. And the president, while he’s there, will also have an opportunity to speak publicly about what he sees and also about the message that he’s preparing to deliver on behalf of the country to make clear that the country stands with the people of Orlando, stands with the LGBT community in Orlando as they grieve for their loss.”