--- title: Orlando Shootings: Obama Says Were Act of Terror and Hate description: President Obama addressed the "horrific massacre" in Orlando, saying his thoughts and prayers were with the families of victims. canonical: https://time.com/4365421/orlando-shooting-barack-obama-terror-hate/ author: Maya Rhodan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-06-12T18:29:56.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:59:54.535Z article:section: Politics og:title: President Obama: Orlando Shootings Were Act of 'Terror' and 'Hate' og:description: Obama confirms the mass shooting is the worst in American history og:url: https://time.com/4365421/orlando-shooting-barack-obama-terror-hate/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcc7f3ff701ee1d87/69889763bc6cfc668d3dd5ae/obama1.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: U.S. President Barack Obama speaks about the worst mass shooting in U.S. history that took place in Orlando, Florida, at the White House in Washington. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: President Obama: Orlando Shootings Were Act of 'Terror' and 'Hate' twitter:description: Obama confirms the mass shooting is the worst in American history twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcc7f3ff701ee1d87/69889763bc6cfc668d3dd5ae/obama1.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # President Obama: Orlando Shootings Were Act of 'Terror' and 'Hate' by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Jun 12, 2016 6:29 PM UTC  President Barack Obama speaks about the worst mass shooting in U.S. history that took place in Orlando, Fla., at the White House in Washington on June 12, 2016. President Barack Obama speaks about the worst mass shooting in U.S. history that took place in Orlando, Fla., at the White House in Washington on June 12, 2016.Joshua Roberts—Reuters by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Jun 12, 2016 6:29 PM UTC President Obama addressed the [“horrific massacre”](http://time.com/4365260/orlando-shooting-pulse-nightclub-what-know/?xid=homepage) in Orlando from the White House on Sunday, saying his thoughts and prayers were with the families of victims. In his short speech, the president was terse; many of the details were still unclear, but he said he knew enough to call the shooting an act of “terror” and an act of “hate.” At least 50 were killed and another 53 wounded in the shooting early Sunday morning at Pulse, a gay nightclub. “We know enough to say this is an act of terror and an act of hate,” Obama said Sunday. “As Americans we are united in our feelings of outrage and our feelings of grief. ” President Obama said he had wrapped a meeting with the director of the FBI James Comey shortly before taking the podium Sunday. Obama said authorities are still learning all of the facts in the case and have made no “definitive judgments” on the killer’s motivations. He did, however, note that Sunday’s mass shooting is the worst in American history. “What is clear is that he was a person filled with hatred,” Obama said of Omar Mateen, the suspected shooter. “This could have been any one of our communities… As a country we will be there for the people of Orlando today, tomorrow, and all of the days to come.” “This is an especially heartbreaking day for all of our friends who are lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender,” Obama added, calling the venue “more than a nightclub,” but a place of “solidarity.” “An attack on any American…is an attack on all of us,” Obama said. “No act of hate or terror will change who we are and the values that make us Americans.” He added, “In the face of hate and violence we will love one another.” In the past year alone, the president has spoken in the wake of tragedies in Charleston, South Carolina, San Bernardino, Calif., and Oregon and the president’s tone has gotten increasingly tense with each incident. After Charleston the president was reflective, singing Amazing Grace at the funeral of Emanuel A.M.E. church pastor [Clementa Pinckney.](http://time.com/3938544/amazing-grace-obama-funeral/) After[ Oregon](https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2015/10/01/watch-president-obamas-statement-shooting-oregon), the president showed flickers of anger during a speech in the James Brady Press Briefing Room. “As I said just a few months ago, and I said a few months before that, and I said each time we see one of these mass shootings, our thoughts and prayers are not enough,” he said. “It’s not enough.” The president’s frustration was apparent again, after [the shooting in San Bernardino, Calif. ](http://time.com/4134676/obama-san-bernardino-shooting/) On Sunday, the president was focused. The statement was brief and to the point. The events in Orlando touched on a number of different issues—the shooting was the worst in American history and it happened at a gay club, all while people speculated about the shooter’s motives. While the president noted that the incident was a “reminder” of how easy it is for anyone to get their hands on a powerful weapon, the president didn’t dwell on the issue of gun access in his short statement—an issue that has been a thorn in his presidency. ### Scenes From the Tragic Aftermath of the Orlando Pulse Nightclub Shooting  Police officers direct family members away from a shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla., on June 12, 2016. Phelan M. Ebenhack—AP  Police and forensics investigators work at the crime scene of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Fla., on June 12, 2016. Carlo Allegri—Reuters  Friends and family members embrace outside the Orlando Police Headquarters during the investigation of a shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla., on June 13, 2016. Steve Nesius—Reuters  Police investigate the Pulse nightclub following a mass shooting in Orlando, Fla., on June 12, 2016. Christopher Morris—VII for TIME  Tatiana Osorio cries while giving blood at the OneBlood blood center near the mass shooting at a nightclub in Orlando, Fla., on June 13, 2016\. Osorio lost three friends in the shooting. David Goldman—AP  A memorial honors the victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting at the Dr. Phillips Center for Performing Arts in Orlando, Fla., on June 13, 2016. Christopher Morris—VII for TIME  A woman reacts as authorities investigate Pulse following a mass shooting in Orlando, Fla., on June 12, 2016. Christopher Morris—VII for TIME  A reporter pauses at the Hampton Inn where relatives of victims gather for information in Orlando, Fla., on June, 12, 2016. Christopher Morris—VII for TIME  A remembrance for Eric Rivera, killed in the mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub, sits amongst a makeshift memorial for the victims in Orlando, Fla., on June 13, 2016. David Goldman—AP  Mourners attend a makeshift vigil for victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Fla., on June 13, 2016. Christopher Morris—VII for TIME  Hundreds of people gather at a memorial outside of the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in Orlando, Fla., on June 13, 2016. John Taggart—EPA  A memorial honors victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting at the Dr. Phillips Center for Performing Arts in Orlando, Fla., on June 13, 2016. Christopher Morris—VII for TIME  A mourner attends a makeshift vigil and a moment of silence for victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Fla., on June 12, 2016. Christopher Morris—VII for TIME  Reporters wait to interview relatives of victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Fla., on June 13, 2016. Christopher Morris—VII for TIME  Seddique Mateen, father of Pulse nightclub gunman Omar Mateen, outside his home in Port Saint Lucie, Fla., on June 14, 2016. Christopher Morris—VII for TIME  President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden depart a makeshift memorial after placing flowers in memory of shooting victims of the massacre at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Fla., on June 16, 2016. Carlos Barria—Reuters  Mourners attend a makeshift vigil and a moment of silence for victims of the mass shooting in Orlando, Fla., on June 12, 2016. 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