President Donald Trump hosted his first Congressional picnic at the White House on Thursday night with his wife Melania Trump, paying tribute to those wounded in the Congressional baseball practice shooting.
Trump welcomed some of Scalise’s children to the picnic, reminding them that the whole country was praying for their father.
“Today I can report things are looking very, very good,” Trump said, commenting on on Scalise’s recovery ,“So we’re very happy about that.”
The hospital treating Scalise moved him from serious to “fair” condition on Wednesday, as the House Majority Whip was reportedly meeting and speaking with visitors.
The president also paid tribute to the two capitol police officers who were shot and wounded during the attack but fought back successfully with their handguns to take down the shooter. He also recognized members of Congress who helped their colleagues during the attack.
“There was a great deal of bravery on behalf of everybody,” he said as the audience applauded.
Trump admitted that he wanted to go to the baseball game after the shooting to show his support, but the Secret Service advised him not to.
“I wanted to be there so badly, you have no idea,” he said.
Trump spoke about the unity on the baseball field and signaled hope that it would continue.
“It’s our hope that this unity that was displayed that evening can grow and thrive and I think we’d all be doing a lot better, and I know the country would be doing a lot better,” he said.
Trump admitted that it would be a challenge for both parties to come together, pointing out the history of divisiveness in Washington D.C.
“Maybe it’s too early, maybe the wounds are too deep in terms of the relationship, because it’s been bad for a long time, a long time,” he said. “Not just when we got there.”
But he signaled hope that the toxic atmosphere would change.
“Hopefully those wounds can heal and heal quickly, because we owe it to the American people,” he said.
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