MIKE PENCE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump’s first domestic mega-moment has arrived, and his measured reaction to the unexpected tragedy is being praised by all sides as they gauge his temperament in a time of crisis.
Trump touched on all the key notes in the immediate hours after Wednesday’s [6-14-17] shooting at a congressional GOP baseball practice that sent five people to the hospital, including House Majority Whip Steve Scalise.
His first remarks: A statement saying he and Vice President Mike Pence were ‘deeply saddened’ by the shooting and a tweet calling Scalise a ‘true friend and patriot.’
Then, just before noon, the president embraced the role of sympathizer-in-chief, delivering a four-plus minute speech in the White House Diplomatic Room revealing Scalise and two Capitol Police officers were in stable condition and confirming the alleged gunman had died following the incident.”
–Darren Samuelsohn, “Trump faces first big domestic moment,” Politico, June 14, 2017 11:28am