Crime scene workers gather their thoughts taking a break outside the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla., on Sunday, June 12. | AP Photo Orlando massacre: Shock and horror At least 49 people are slain in gay nightclub in the worst mass shooting in U.S. history.

A mass overnight shooting at a Florida nightclub that police confirmed was the deadliest shooting in American history drew immediate reactions from the political world, mixing empathy with anger.

“Today, as Americans, we grieve the brutal murder, a horrific massacre, of dozens of innocent people,” President Barack Obama said Sunday afternoon. “We pray for their families, who are grasping for answers with broken hearts. We stand with the people of Orlando, who have endured a terrible attack on their city.”


The massacre at the Pulse Orlando nightclub left 50 dead, including the shooter, and an additional 53 hospitalized, some with grievous injuries.

Speaking from the White House, Obama called the “horrific” attack “an act of terror and an act of hate.” The president said the shooting was being investigated by the FBI as a terrorist attack. Shortly after his remarks, Attorney General Loretta Lynch, who was on a trip to China, for cybersecurity talks, announced she will return to Washington to take charge of the probe.

Obama said the FBI is “appropriately” investigating the massacre as an act of terrorism and said the killer was “a person filled with hate” who attacked a nightclub known for its place in the gay community.

“The shooter targeted a nightclub where people came together to be with friends, to dance and to sing, and to live,” Obama said. “The place where they were attacked is more than a nightclub. It is a place of solidarity and empowerment, where people have come together to raise awareness, to speak their minds and to advocate for their civil rights.”

And, as he has in the past, Obama made a plea to reexamine the nation’s gun laws, calling the massacre “a further reminder of how easy it is for someone to get their hands on a weapon that lets them shoot people in a school or in a house of worship or a movie theater or in a nightclub.”

Obama’s remarks, however, were somewhat pre-empted by Donald Trump, who took credit “for being right on radical Islamic terrorism” and questioned whether Obama would mention the phrase.

“If he doesn’t he should immediately resign in disgrace!” the presumptive Republican presidential nominee tweeted.

Vice President Joe Biden, who was briefed by his national security adviser, “offered his prayers for all those killed and injured in the shooting and sends his condolences to all the families and loved ones of the victims,” his office said. “He is closely monitoring the situation and will continue to receive regular updates as we know more.”

The remaining presidential candidates commented through the day. Trump initially called the shooting “really bad.”

“Police investigating possible terrorism. Many people dead and wounded,” he tweeted.

“Horrific incident in FL,” Trump added hours later. “Praying for all the victims & their families. When will this stop? When will we get tough, smart & vigilant?”

He followed up by taking credit for “being right on radical Islamic terrorism.”

“Appreciate the congrats for being right on radical Islamic terrorism, I don't want congrats, I want toughness & vigilance,” he tweeted. “We must be smart!”

Presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton tweeted in both English and Spanish that she woke up to the “devastating news from FL.”

“As we wait for more information, my thoughts are with those affected by this horrific act,” she wrote.

In a statement following Obama’s address, Clinton also deemed the massacre “an act of terror.”

“This was also an act of hate. The gunman attacked an LGBT nightclub during Pride Month. To the LGBT community: please know that you have millions of allies across our country,” Clinton said. “ I am one of them. We will keep fighting for your right to live freely, openly and without fear. Hate has absolutely no place in America.”

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that the massacre was “horrific” and “unthinkable,” adding that “hopes go out to all those who were shot that they can recover.”

In a statement released minutes before Clinton’s, Sanders said, “All Americans are horrified, disgusted and saddened by the horrific atrocity in Orlando,” but he was cautious not to prematurely declare it an act of terrorism.

“At this point we do not know whether this was an act of terrorism, a terrible hate crime against gay people or the act of a very sick person, but we extend our heartfelt condolences to the victims’ families and loved ones and our thoughts are with the injured and the entire Orlando LGBTQ community,” he said.

The shooter at Pulse Orlando, a crowded gay nightclub, has been identified as Omar Mateen of Port St. Lucie, Florida. Reports indicated he was a U.S. citizen, born in the United States to parents from Afghanistan. According to The Associated Press, he had been the subject of FBI investigations in the past. Various news outlets reported that he offered his allegiance to ISIL, also known as ISIS and the Islamic State, at some point during the Orlando attack.

Ronald Hopper, FBI assistant special agent in charge, told reporters that Mateen, 29, was born in New York and was first on the agency’s radar in 2013 for potential terrorist ties and again the following year for potential ties to an American suicide bomber.

“It has been reported that Mateen made calls to 911 this morning in which he stated his allegiance to the leader of the Islamic State,” he added. “We're looking into any and all connections both domestic and international. We'll going to be as transparent as possible, but we also want to be as accurate as possible.”

The gunman died in a gunfight with SWAT officers. Police recovered a handgun and an “AR-15-type assault rifle” from the suspect. Hopper said Mateen legally purchased at least two firearms within the past few days.

Pulse Orlando sent out a message on its Facebook account asking for “prayers as we work through this tragic event. Thank you for your thoughts and love.”

Early speculation about the attacker focused on his motivation. Neil Combee, a Florida state representative, quickly tweeted out his suggestion that the shooter was a “Radical Islamic Terrorist.”

“Radical Islamic Terrorist attacks Orlando nightclub. It was just a matter of time. #PulseShooting,” he tweeted.

Florida's political leaders of both parties reacted strongly to the entire situation.

Gov. Rick Scott, who was traveling to Orlando, declared a state of emergency in Orange County and offered his thoughts and prayers and vowed to “devote every resource available to assist with the shooting.”

Addressing the media during a news conference in Orlando, Scott said the incident was “clearly an act of terror.”

“You just can't imagine this would happen to our community, our state or anywhere in our country,” he said. “But for somebody to go in there and be an active shooter and take that number of lives and injure that many people is clearly an act of terror.”

Sen. Marco Rubio called the shooting a “horrifying act of terrorism” and urged people in the Central Florida area to donate blood, particularly those with O-positive and O-negative blood types.

“You have this level of mass casualty and loss of life here that you can just imagine the demand on the blood banks,” he told CNN. “So I would encourage those who are eligible and can give blood to please try to do that. That’s one thing we can do. And, you know, in the days to come here, in the next few hours as the authorities try to piece all this together, it is possible that someone watching this broadcast might have some information that will lead us to know a little bit more about this animal who did this.”

Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who represents a congressional district in Florida, echoed Rubio’s call for blood donations and offered her condolences.

“Heartbroken over another mass shooting,” she tweeted. “My thoughts are with the victims, their loved ones, and the entire Orlando LGBT community today.”

In the wake of the shooting, Biden’s office canceled the vice president’s trip to Miami, where he was scheduled to attend a fundraiser with Wasserman Schultz.

Rep. Alan Grayson said his thoughts and hearts are with the victims, their families and the Orlando community.

“Words cannot express the horror, pain and sadness that we feel about this terrible loss. I commend the Orlando police for their heroic efforts to save the lives of those who could be saved,” he said in a statement. “Local and federal law enforcement are working right now to uncover more information about the motive and other circumstances of the shooting.”

He told reporters there was “blood everywhere.”

“There's an enormous amount of havoc right now,” he said. “There’s blood everywhere. I spoke to somebody who was on the site, and there is an enormous amount of evidence to be collected systematically over the course of many hours at the site.”

Rep. David Jolly of Florida likened the attack in Orlando to the terrorist attacks that struck Paris last November, killing 130 people.

“We join together today as a nation to pray for the Orlando victims and their loved ones,” he said in a statement. “This is our Paris. Let us resolve today to always confront and defeat terror at the hands of evil so that this may never happen again.”

Florida Sen. Bill Nelson, who spoke with the assistant director of the Counterterrorism Center, told ABC News, “There appears to be a link to Islamic radicalism” and speculated that there may be “some kind of connection to ISIS.”

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, who spoke with Obama on Sunday, thanked first responders and medical personnel for having “saved many lives” this morning.

“Our community experienced a horrific crime today,” he tweeted. “Our hearts & prayers are with the victims and their families. Despite the fact that tonight’s crime will have a lasting effect, we are a strong community.”

The mass shooting sparked much conversation about Islamic terrorists. "As we heal, we need to be clear-eyed about who did this," House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said in a statement. "We are a nation at war with Islamic terrorists. Theirs is a repressive, hateful ideology that respects no boundaries."

Sen. Ted Cruz spoke along similar lines. “Enough is enough. What we need is for every American — Democrat and Republican — to come together, abandon political correctness, and unite in defeating radical Islamic terrorism,” the Texas Republican said. And California Rep. Ed Royce said: "Jihadist-driven terrorism has hit America again — no corner of our country is immune."

There was also discussion as to whether the shooting may have been a hate crime directed against the gay and lesbian community. “We will not be deterred by hate as we gather to celebrate love,” Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser said in a statement.

Many cities and communities around the United States recognize and celebrate June as LGBT pride month. In Seattle, Mayor Ed Murray, who is openly gay, had his office organize a vigil for Sunday night. "Words cannot openly express the feelings of grief I am feeling," he said.

A police officer stands guard outside the Orlando Regional Medical Center hospital after a fatal shooting at a nearby Pulse Orlando nightclub in Orlando, Fla. | AP Photo

The latest domestic attack has also reignited the debate over gun control, an issue both Clinton and Sanders addressed Sunday.



Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, where a man killed 20 elementary school students and six adults in 2012, also joined the gun control debate. He released a passionate, blistering statement decrying Congress’ “unconscionable deafening silence.”

“I'm aching for the victims, their loved ones, and the people of Orlando, and I pray that all those injured have a quick and full recovery. I know the pain and sadness that has brought too many communities — Newtown, Oregon, Aurora, San Bernardino, and now Orlando — to their knees, and I can only hope that America's leaders will do something to prevent another community from being added to the list,” he said.

“This phenomenon of near constant mass shootings happens only in America — nowhere else. Congress has become complicit in these murders by its total, unconscionable deafening silence. This doesn’t have to happen, but this epidemic will continue without end if Congress continues to sit on its hands and do nothing — again.”

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick received swift backlash for tweeting a picture with a Bible verse hours after the carnage at the gay nightclub that suggested the victims got what they deserved.

“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows,” Patrick tweeted, citing Galatians 6:7.

He replaced the now-deleted tweet with a different verse from Psalm 37:39: “The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord; he is their stronghold in time of trouble.”

Theo Meyer and David Cohen contributed to this report.