The mother of a 14-year-old girl who was among the 17 people killed in Wednesday’s school shooting in Parkland, Florida, appeared on CNN Thursday to demand that President Donald Trump take action against gun violence. The searing segment was fraught with emotion, as Lori Alhadeff begged Trump to put an end to what has become a horrifyingly familiar experience for Americans.
“President Trump, you say what can you do?” Alhadeff said as she looked into the camera, her voice rising. “You can stop the guns from getting into these children’s hands!”
“What can you do? You can do a lot!” she continued. “This is not fair to our families that our children go to school and have to get killed.”
“Just hearing that mother, I’m sorry. … It got me. … What do you say?” @BrookeBCNN becomes emotional about a grieving mother’s plea to President Trump https://t.co/wev5IE588H pic.twitter.com/vJPHUPGKLc
— CNN (@CNN) February 15, 2018
“I just spent the last two hours putting the burial arrangements for my daughter’s funeral, who’s 14. President Trump, please do something,” Alhadeff said. “Do something. Action! We need it now! These kids need safety now!”
As Alhadeff ‘s appearance came to a close, anchor Brooke Baldwin became visibly moved by the grieving mother she had just witnessed. She turned to Rep. Ted Deutch (D-Fla.) and asked, “What do you say?”
Alhadeff is among the many affected by the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting to speak out against Trump and Congress’ continued inaction on gun control. In his first remarks since Wednesday’s shooting, Trump did not mention guns or gun control legislation, instead urging Americans to “answer hate with love.”