A survivor of the Florida shooting has denied he is a "crisis actor" after Donald Trump Jr appeared to endorse an article which labelled the student a "Trump-hater".

Marjory Stoneman Douglas High student David Hogg, who witnessed the massacre in which 17 students and teachers were killed, is one of a number of youngsters to have called for tougher gun control laws in the wake of the latest mass shooting at a US school.

Directly addressing Donald Trump during an interview with Sky News in the aftermath of the massacre, the 17-year-old told the President to "realise the true gravity of the situation".

Since then he and several of his classmates have continued to speak out, notably Emma Gonzalez, who questioned the $30m Mr Trump's election campaign received from the National Rifle Association.

Survivor to Trump: We need action, not lies

The students have become the subject of online conspiracy theories which claim they are working for a group that travel across the country planting "actors" at the scene of crises.


On Tuesday, the President's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr, 'liked' a tweet linking to an article which claimed Mr Hogg was an "outspoken Trump-hater" who should have told his father, a retired FBI agent, that he knew the Florida gunman "would snap".

It added: "Oh but wait, his father was in the FBI. It would not have mattered anyway.

"That's the funny thing about the limelight, kid. Often the lights can come crashing down on your head."

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Speaking to CNN, Mr Hogg said it was "disturbing" that Mr Trump Jr had appeared to endorse the claim.

He said: "I'm not a crisis actor. I'm someone who had to witness this and live through this and I continue to be having to do that.

"I'm not acting on anyone's behalf. Unlike the people who are tweeting that stuff about me and my dad, I haven't lost hope in America and my dad hasn't either."

Republican Florida Senator Marco Rubio is among those to have come to the students' defence, describing the claims against them as "the work of a disgusting group of idiots with no sense of decency".

Image: President Trump will meet with survivors on Wednesday

Students and teachers who survived the shooting will meet the President at the White House on Wednesday to discuss ways of improving school safety and addressing gun violence.

On Tuesday, Mr Trump signed an order recommending a ban on bump stock gun modifications, and is said to be supportive of proposals to improve background checks.

But Florida's House of Representatives has voted down a motion to take up a bill that would ban assault rifles by 36-71, despite gun owners campaigning to prevent civilians from possessing such weapons.

According to a Quinnipac University poll, voters support stricter gun laws by 66% to 31%