Perry, Iowa – After the tragic school shooting in Perry, Iowa, former US President Donald Trump expressed his condolences to the victims and their families, calling the incident “terrible” and “horrible.” During a campaign rally in Sioux Center, Iowa, Trump urged residents to “get over it” and “move forward”. The shooting, which occurred a few days before the January 15 Iowa caucuses, resulted in the death of a sixth grade student and left seven others injured, including students and school staff members.
The suspected shooter, identified as 17-year-old student Dylan Butler, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to officials. Despite Trump’s call to “move forward,” social media users criticized him for being insensitive, with one user stating that Trump doesn’t care about the parents of murdered children.
In the wake of the tragedy, Trump’s GOP rivals campaigning in Iowa extended their condolences and called for mental health reform. Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley emphasized the need for addressing mental health issues, calling it “the cancer” that needs to be dealt with.
Additionally, GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy posted a call for prayers on social media and suggested that guns were not the problem, but rather a symptom of a deeper societal crisis. Meanwhile, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis described the shootings as “more of a local and state issue” in an interview.
The Iowa school shooting tragedy has prompted calls for mental health reform and sparked a debate about the role of guns in society, as the community mourns the loss of a young life and grapples with the trauma caused by the incident. The incident also puts the spotlight on the need for addressing mental health concerns and implementing measures to prevent such tragedies in the future.