“I know they feel like there is a black hole in their chest in which they are being sucked, and things will never get better,” he said. “But our prayers are with you. And I assure you, the one you lost will always be with you, always with you. ‘
The president’s ability to project empathy with those who are suffering contrasts with Mr. Trump, who at such moments struggled to give a sense of gloomy support. (His grinning, thumbs-up photo in a hospital after a mass shooting in El Paso caused a backlash of angry comments about his visit.) During a campaign against the backdrop of grief over the pandemic, Mr. Often pray to his opponent that they have no real empathy for those who are suffering.
Mr. Biden also accused his predecessor of inciting and fueling the many racial strife that aroused the country, and inspired acts of violence such as those that erupted in Atlanta on Tuesday. It was mr. Trump’s response to racist violence in 2017 in Charlottesville, Va. – and especially his remark about ‘good people’ among the white insurgents, which motivated him to elect him as president, Mr. Biden often said.
Moments of mourning after mass shootings can be a special challenge for any president. They need the ability to comfort those who are grieving the loss of their loved ones, while at the same time offering optimism and hope to a nation that is often shaken by the horror of what has just happened.
In 2012, after 20 young children were killed by a gunman in Newtown, Conn., President Barack Obama closed remarks during a memorial service by slowly reading their names to one while some cried in the audience.
Three years later, after giving his eulogy to Rev. Clementa Pinckney, who was shot dead along with eight others, was shot dead during a Bible study at a church in Charleston, SC. Obama sang some of ‘Amazing Grace’ and touched the church to his feet and the heart of the country.
Just as at that moment, Mr. Pray not just a gruesome killing, but an episode in racial tension. And as during mr. Obama’s term, the words of empathy will be followed by difficult questions about what the federal government can or should do to prevent the tragic scene from being repeated again.
Sabrina Tavernise reporting from Atlanta contributed.