The White House press secretary vigorously defended U.S. President Donald Trump鈥檚 silence on Twitter over the Quebec City mosque shooting on Thursday, arguing that the president already responded to the massacre in a statement.
Trump controls his own Twitter account, and his social media presence has become a powerful tool of his early presidency. Since the Quebec shooting 11 days ago, Trump has tweeted about Nordstrom dropping his daughter鈥檚 fashion line, the Super Bowl, keeping 鈥渆vil鈥� out of the U.S. and how he thinks Arnold Schwarzenegger did a 鈥渞eally bad job鈥� as host of 鈥淐elebrity Apprentice.鈥�
In a press briefing Thursday, press secretary Sean Spicer was asked why Trump hasn鈥檛 used his account to personally address the shooting that killed six Muslim men, including a butcher, a university professor and a civil servant.
鈥淚 came out here are actually spoke about it and said the president spoke --,鈥� Spicer said, before cutting himself off. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e equating me addressing the nation here, and a tweet?鈥�
Indeed, Spicer began a briefing the day after the shooting by saying Trump had reached out to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to offer condolences. Spicer then indirectly linked the Quebec massacre to Trump鈥檚 travel ban on seven Muslim-majority countries, glossing over the fact that the victims of the shooting were Muslims and the lone suspect has been described as a xenophobic nationalist with radical anti-immigrant views.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a terrible reminder of why we must remain vigilant and why the president is taking steps to be proactive and not reactive on issues of national security,鈥� Spicer said.
On Thursday, Spicer was pushed on why Trump did not tweet about the massacre. A reporter went on to ask Spicer about comments Kellyanne Conway made in an interview to CNN host Jake Tapper in which she defended the president鈥檚 silence on the shooting by saying he 鈥渄oesn鈥檛 tweet about everything.鈥�
Spicer brushed the question off as 鈥渟illy.鈥�
鈥淚 mean, that鈥檚 the silliest thing I鈥檝e ever heard. Okay, I鈥檓 done this is silly 鈥� next,鈥� he said.
Trump鈥檚 online silence in the wake of the Jan. 29 attack was noticeable. Other global leaders, including Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto and French President Francois Hollande, went online to express condolences after the deadly shooting.
México se solidariza con Canadá y con las familias de quienes perdieron la vida en una mezquita de la Ciudad de Quebec.
鈥� Enrique Peña Nieto (@EPN)
Our prayers tonight are with the people of Quebec City as they deal with a terrible attack on a mosque. We must stand together.
鈥� Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor)
Je dénonce avec la plus grande fermeté l'odieux attentat qui a fait au moins six morts et de nombreux blessés dans une mosquée à Québec.
鈥� François Hollande (@fhollande)
With files from the Associated Press
