Donald Trump insinuated Monday morning that President Obama was complicit in a mass shooting this weekend in Orlando — or at least that’s what multiple newsrooms heard.
“Donald Trump suggests President Obama was involved in Orlando shooting,” a Washington Post headline declared.
The Atlantic followed with, “Donald Trump Implies President Obama Was Involved in the Orlando Shooting.”
The billionaire businessman’s campaign spokeswoman, however, signaled disagreement with these characterizations, and called them “unfortunate.”
“Mr. Trump’s remarks stand alone,” Hope Hicks told the Washington Examiner’s media desk.
Headlines alleging Trump had tied Obama to a mass shooting this weekend that claimed the lives of 49 people are based on an interview the GOP nominee gave Fox News Monday morning.
“Look, we’re led by a man that either is not tough, not smart, or he’s got something else in mind,” Trump said told the hosts of “Fox and Friends.”
“And the something else in mind — you know, people can’t believe it. People cannot, they cannot believe that President Obama is acting the way he acts and can’t even mention the words ‘radical Islamic terrorism.’ There’s something going on. It’s inconceivable. There’s something going on,” he added.
The show’s hosts then asked Trump to explain his call for Obama to resign.
“[Obama] doesn’t get it or he gets it better than anybody understands — it’s one or the other, and either one is unacceptable,” he said.
Shortly after the interview, newsrooms were off and running, reporting that the GOP nominee had accused the president of being involved somehow in this weekend’s mass shooting.
“Trump Suggests Obama’s a Secret Muslim Again,” the Daily Beast said in one headline.
MSNBC followed with, “Trump suggests President Obama may be terrorist sympathizer.”
“Donald Trump Suggests That Obama Let the Orlando Shooting Happen,” said VICE.
The Huffington Post said, “Donald Trump Suggests Obama May Be Sympathetic To Islamic Terrorism.”
“Trump Suggests Obama Sympathetic to Islamic Terrorists,” the Wall Street Journal added.
Yahoo News reported Trump has insinuated, “President Obama identifies with radicalized Muslims who have carried out terrorist attacks like the Orlando shooting.”
Politico reported that Trump had “implied that the president was not a trustworthy leader who failed to prevent” this weekend’s mass shooting.
The Post and the Atlantic have since amended their headlines to soften their earlier characterizations of Trump’s remarks
“Donald Trump seems to connect President Obama to Orlando shooting,” reads the updated version of the Post’s headline.
The Atlantic’s new headline now reads, “Trump: Obama Was Maybe Involved in the Orlando Shooting.”
