Jacksonville shooting
Heavy police presence remains into the night at the shooting outside Jacksonville Landing in Florida. Aug. 26, 2018. Getty Images/ Mark Wallheiser

Even hours after a mass shooting at a gaming event in Madden, Jacksonville, Florida, took the lives of three including the shooter on Sunday, President Donald Trump, who is usually quick to tweet about current affairs, choose to stay mum about the tragedy.

Instead of offering words of comfort to the people of his country who were reeling in the wake of the incident, Trump resorted to self-boasting, talking about his approval ratings.

“Over 90% approval rating for your all time favorite (I hope) President within the Republican Party and 52% overall. This despite all of the made up stories by the Fake News Media trying endlessly to make me look as bad and evil as possible. Look at the real villains please!” he wrote.

Although White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said the president had been briefed on the situation and was monitoring it, the statement did nothing to pacify Twitter users who were outraged at Trump’s lack of mention of the Jacksonville tragedy.

Some users suggested "the skin color" of the Jacksonville shooter might have something to do with the president refraining from tweeting about the incident:

Soon after the tragedy, other Republicans, including the president’s daughter and senior White House adviser Ivanka Trump, and several Democrats took to social media to express outrage over the shooting and offer their prayers for the victims and their families.

“As we await further details, our hearts are with Jacksonville and all those affected by today’s tragic mass shooting,” Ivanka wrote.

"Horrifying news from #Jacksonville this afternoon," Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. (R-FL) tweeted. "Have spoken to local authorities & am still awaiting more information on this shooting. Situation still unfolding, law enforcement is asking everyone to avoid the area. #Sayfie."

In a follow-up tweet, he added, “Have confirmed @FBI & @ATFHQ are in contact & in coordination with local authorities to provide any & all federal resources needed to respond to #JacksonvilleLandingShooting.”

Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL) tweeted: "My heart breaks for more of my fellow Floridians today. For more families whose lives will never be the same, for another grieving community, and for the generation raised in a country that has allowed horrific shootings to become commonplace, we must say, "enough." ENOUGH!”

Choosing to not utter a word about the Jacksonville shooting was not the only thing the POTUS was criticized for over the weekend. According to a Washington Post article, the president nixed a White House statement that was supposed to be released following Sen. John McCain’s death on Saturday, saying he wanted to tweet about it first.

And when he tweeted, it was bereft of any praises for the late senator:

The original White House statement, which was drafted before McCain’s death and did not make the final cut, sang high praises of his military and senate service and called him a “hero,” current and former White House aides told the Post.

In contrast to the president’s tweet, McCain was lauded by people like former presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush and international leaders like Canadian President Justin Trudeau and French President Emmanuel Macron:

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Canada George W. Bush Barack obama Donald trump