“On October 1, at least 50 people were killed and more than 100 were wounded after a man opened fire on a crowd at a country music festival in Las Vegas, Nevada. There are no words to describe this tragic event, and many of us feel helpless in the face of evil. But we have to do all that we can to help the victims and the people of this country. We send love to the families and loved ones of those affected, and we pray that something like this will never happen again. We have to remember that America is strong and we will come out of this even stronger.”

This is what President Donald Trump should have said during his speech after the Las Vegas shooting, but instead, his speech seemed detached and didn’t necessarily give America what it needed in this time of desperation.

After comparing Donald Trump’s address to the nation with Obama’s reaction to the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting and George W. Bush’s response to the terrorist attack on 9/11, the differences are evident.

In Bush’s address, we can feel the pain and sorrow that he felt. He talked about the victims personally by addressing them as “moms and dads, friends and neighbors.” His speech wasn’t just about facts, it was expressing his concern and giving hope to the country. He talked about what he had done as president to help, and he talked about all he wished he was able to do. He mentioned the strength of this country, and how no matter how hard hatred was pushed at us, we would never be broken apart. He shared that these were the moments that bring us together as a country, and we would come out of this stronger than ever.

Similarly, after the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary school in December of 2012, the entire country was changed. In a very emotional speech, Obama put himself in the shoes of the victims’ parents and families, and actually began to tear up. He said, “Each time I learn the news I react not as a President, but as anybody else would — as a parent.” He showed empathy, and he grieved. By watching him, you truly believe that he would “do everything in my power as President to help.” He talked about how important it is for America to come together because everyone was affected in some way.

On the other hand, in Trump’s speech he seemed disconnected to the words he was saying. He stated the facts and also what the FBI and security had been doing, but all he did to “help” was directing “that our great flag be flown at half-staff” and “visiting Las Vegas on Wednesday to meet with law enforcement, first responders, and the families of the victims.” He talked about the victims simply, and didn’t go into detail about who was affected, by saying that the killer “brutally murdered more than 50 people and wounded hundreds more.”

Trump said, “We cannot fathom their pain, we cannot imagine their loss,” but is that enough? He may not be able to understand their pain, but that shouldn’t hold him back from being sympathetic. Also, Trump thanked the police for “the speed with which they acted is miraculous and prevented further loss of life,” which simply isn’t true. They acted as fast as they could, but it did take them quite some time to stop the shooter. Perhaps the president attempted to show as much sympathy as possible, but unfortunately, he wasn’t able to capture much compassion in his presentation.

The President of the United States, more than anything, is a national figure. Most people look to him/her for guidance, support, and comfort during these difficult times. Trump did do many things correctly by reaching out to the public, but he just did not fill the standards many people usually have after a disaster like the Las Vegas shooting. We turned to the President after the shooting in order to feel secure, safe, and sympathize with him, but we simply didn’t get enough from him.

No one hopes that anything like this will ever happen again, but since not much is being done to prevent it, unfortunately it can be assumed that at some point later in Trump’s presidency, something like this will recur. If that moment does happen to come, I hope our President can act with more sympathy and give the country what it needs in order to mourn and continue forward.

“Thank you and G-d bless America.”