U.S. President Donald Trump (R) departs for Florida in the White House in Washington D.C., the United States, on Feb. 16, 2018. Trump said Friday that he will travel to Florida to meet with those affected by the high school shooting massacre that killed 17 people in Parkland. (Xinhua/Ting Shen)
WASHINGTON, Feb. 16 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that he will travel to Florida later in the day to meet with those affected by the high school shooting massacre that killed 17 people in Parkland.
"I will be leaving for Florida today to meet with some of the bravest people on earth -- but people whose lives have been totally shattered," Trump tweeted Friday morning. "Am also working with Congress on many fronts."
But the White House did not provide details about the travel plan for the president, who had already been slated to head to Florida to spend the weekend at his Palm Beach estate, only about 64 kilometers from Parkland.
Trump's visit would come two days after Nikolas Cruz, a 19-year-old gunman, opened fire with an AR-15 rifle at students and teachers at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in the city of Parkland in Broward County.
The shooting killed 17 people and injured 14 others.
Cruz, a former student at the school who was expelled for disciplinary reasons, was described as "mentally disturbed."
During a national address on Thursday, Trump stressed safer schools for students and promised to tackle the "difficult issue of mental health" but did not mention the prevalence of guns or gun violence.
