Trump calls Vegas shooting an ‘act of pure evil’

FILE: President Donald Trump (Photo by Gage Skidmore/Flickr,CC BY-SA 2.0)

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has condemned the mass shooting in Las Vegas — in which at least 59 people were shot dead — as an “act of pure evil” and declared the nation would unite behind the survivors, but he refused to get into a new debate over gun control.

Trump spoke slowly and carefully Monday morning from the White House Diplomatic Room, focusing not on the identity or possible motive of the gunman but on the nation’s efforts to heal.

The remarks were the prelude to a two-part test of whether Trump, a leader who excels at political provocation, can also deliver solace.

Trump is slated to visit Puerto Rico Tuesday to survey devastation from Hurricane Maria, before going to Las Vegas Wednesday to meet with families of the dead.