Fact Check

Trump Tweets That He 'Appreciates the Congrats' on Being Right About Terrorism

Donald Trump tweeted that he appreciated "the congrats for being right on radical Islamic terrorism" after a mass shooting in Orlando, but that wasn't his full message.

Published June 12, 2016

 (Instagram)
Image Via Instagram
Claim:
Donald Trump tweeted that he appreciated "the congrats for being right on radical Islamic terrorism" after a mass shooting in Orlando.

In the early hours of 12 June 2016, a lone gunman opened fire inside a gay nightclub in Orlando, killing at least 50 people in the deadliest incident of mass shooting in recent U.S. history.

Shortly after news broke of the tragedy, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's Twitter account posted several messages on the subject. One particular tweet caught the attention of the Huffington Post, who ran it under the headline "Donald Trump Tweets Disgusting Humble Brag After Orlando Massacre."

Trump's tweet was excerpted and fashioned into a graphic bearing HuffPo's logo that was posted on Facebook, as seen above. However, while the GOP presidential candidate did tweet that he "appreciate[d] the congrats on being right on radical Islamic terrorism," his full message was more than just the gloating brag implied by the excerpt:

trump tweet

While an official motive for the mass shooting has not been confirmed as of this writing, ISIS has reportedly claimed responsibility for the attack.

President Obama called the mass shooting "an act of terror" and an "act of hate" when he delivered a statement about it from the White House:

Although it’s still early in the investigation, we know enough to say that this was an act of terror and an act of hate. And as Americans, we are united in grief, in outrage, and in resolve to defend our people.

I just finished a meeting with FBI Director Comey and my homeland security and national security advisors. The FBI is on the scene and leading the investigation, in partnership with local law enforcement. I’ve directed that the full resources of the federal government be made available for this investigation.

We are still learning all the facts. This is an open investigation. We’ve reached no definitive judgment on the precise motivations of the killer. The FBI is appropriately investigating this as an act of terrorism. And I’ve directed that we must spare no effort to determine what -- if any -- inspiration or association this killer may have had with terrorist groups. What is clear is that he was a person filled with hatred. Over the coming days, we’ll uncover why and how this happened, and we will go wherever the facts lead us.

Dan Evon is a former writer for Snopes.