On the hot-button question of the day—what to do about the epidemic of mass shootings in America—White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders had a consistent response at Monday’s press briefing: Now is not the time for action.
Naturally, Sanders made sure to reiterate Trump’s support for the Second Amendment. But when asked about gun safety legislation or other preventative measures, Sanders said the White House wanted “all the facts” and repeatedly gave some version of: “… there will be a time for that policy discussion to take place but that's not the place we're in at this moment.”
Still, when NBC’s Hallie Jackson noted Democrats’ urgent calls for Congress to “get off its ass” and do something about gun violence, Sanders took the opportunity to ding the Republican do-nothing Congress.
“I actually agree with him that Congress should get up and do something,” Sanders said, somewhat tickled by her own observation. “I’m not sure that it's specific to that, but I think Congress has had several months of doing very little and we would like to see some actual legislation come through.”
Asked what exactly the president would like to see Congress do on guns, Sanders said she wasn’t sure. And when Jackson noted that following the deadly Orlando shooting in 2016, Trump immediately used the tragedy to talk about his Muslim ban proposal on Twitter and in speeches, Sanders shot back:
"There's a difference between being a candidate and being president.”
Perhaps more aptly put: there’s a difference between when the shooting suspect is white and when the shooting suspect is a person of color who Trump can demonize for his political gain. Trump was all too eager to get ahead of the facts during both the Orlando and San Bernardino shootings.
On Jan. 20, Trump as pr*sident pledged: “This American carnage stops right here and stops right now.”
But in the face of at least 58 deaths and more than 500 injured and counting, all Trump has to offer are his “warmest condolences.” Right now isn’t the time for action, apparently, except for Congress, says the White House. They should absolutely act. On something. Anything. The White House just isn’t sure what.