Former President Donald Trump on Friday extended condolences following a school shooting in Iowa this week that left one dead and seven wounded before urging supporters to “move forward.”
“I want to send our support and our deepest sympathies to the victims and families touched by the terrible school shooting yesterday in Perry, Iowa,” Trump said during a campaign rally.
“It’s just horrible, so surprising to see it here. But have to get over it, we have to move forward,” he added.
The shooting, just days before the Jan. 15 Iowa caucuses, took the life of a sixth grader and injured seven others, including students and school staff members, officials said. The gunman, identified as 17-year-old student Dylan Butler, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, officials said.
Trump’s comments on Friday night broke his nearly 36 hours of silence on the shooting. His GOP rivals campaigning in the state weighed in on the matter Thursday, with several focusing on mental health and rejecting stricter gun measures.
Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley wrote on X that her “heart aches for the victims,” and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy posted a call for prayers on X.
Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson told reporters that more on-campus resources and school security officers were needed.
Meanwhile, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis conveyed his support in an interview, while suggesting that shootings are “more of a local and state issue.”
CORRECTION (Jan. 5, 2024, 11:18 p.m. ET): A previous version of this article misstated the number of people injured in Thursday’s shooting. It was seven, not five.
