It’s uncertain whether President Trump will still visit The Villages on Tuesday following two mass shootings over the weekend and a third one last week.
The president is expected to address the shootings on Monday and will most likely discuss any plans he might have for the week, including the possibility of visiting any of the three cities where the tragedies took place – El Paso, Texas; Dayton, Ohio; and Gilroy, Calif.
Some Villagers had speculated that the president might cancel his visit or reschedule it but as of Sunday night, the White House hadn’t made any official announcement.
The mass shootings left 20 dead and 26 injured at an El Paso Wal-Mart; nine dead and 27 injured outside a downtown Dayton bar; and three dead and 15 wounded at the Gilroy Garlic Festival in California.
On Sunday, the president said that “perhaps” more needs to be done on gun control but offered no specifics shortly before boarding Air Force One after a weekend at his golf club in Bedminster, N.J.
“Hate has no place in our country and we’re going to take care of it,” Trump was quoted as saying when speaking to reporters before leaving New Jersey to return to the White House.
On Sunday, Trump was briefed on the Dayton shooting and then offered his thoughts on the weekend massacres via Twitter.
“God bless the people of El Paso Texas. God bless the people of Dayton, Ohio,” he tweeted.
If the president still visits The Villages, he is expected to speak about Medicare to a small, invitation-only crowd on Tuesday at 2:15 p.m. at The Sharon L. Morse Performing Arts Center. He also is expected to hold a more intimate meeting on Medicare with 10 members of Villagers for Trump, the grassroots organization that formed in The Villages a little over a year ago, now boasts more than 1,700 members and clearly has become the choice of area Republicans interested in getting involved in GOP politics.