Hillary Clinton assails Donald Trump's terror proposals in Ohio
CLEVELAND -- In her first extensive remarks on the terrorist attack in Orlando, Hillary Clinton called on Americans to "get back to the spirit" of unity that brought the country together after September 11.
"Americans from all walks of life rallied together, with a sense of common purpose," she said, speaking in Cleveland. "We had each other's backs."
Clinton traveled here on Monday expecting to jumpstart her general election campaign but, after the shooting at a nightclub in Orlando Sunday night left 50 people dead, her aides went to work rewriting her speech and retooling the event.
Eight hundred of her supporters were seated, or crowded around the edges of the room, in an industrial facility in Cleveland, and the usual, pop-laden playlist was traded for low, soft music. The music was cut altogether as Clinton took the stage, against a backdrop of American flags.
"The murder of innocent people breaks our hearts," Clinton said. "Tears at our sense of security, and makes us furious. Now we have to steel our resolve to respond...The Orlando terrorist may be dead, but the virus that poisoned his mind remains very much alive, and we must attack it with clear eyes, steady hands, unwavering determination and pride in our country and our values."
Clinton did not name presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump once during her speech, but instead laid out her agenda to fight terrorism in the United States and abroad. Her top priority, she said, would be "identifying and stopping" lone wolves.
"I will put a team together from across our government, the entire government, as well as the private sector and communities to get on top of this urgent challenge," she said, "and I will make sure our law enforcement and intelligence professionals have all the resources they need to get the job done."
But at times, Clinton's rebuke of Trump's proposals was clear.
"Inflammatory anti-Muslim rhetoric and threatening to ban the families and friends of Muslims Americans, as well as millions of Muslim business people and tourists, from entering our country hurts the vast majority of Muslims who love freedom and hate terror," she said.
Clinton, who on Monday morning called for reinstating an assault weapons ban, went on to say that the issue of gun control is directly tied to terrorism. She noted that the suspect in Orlando used the same style of weapon as the attackers in San Bernardino and the shooter at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
"If the FBI is watching you for suspected terrorist links, you should not be able to just go buy a gun," Clinton said. "And you should not be able to exploit loopholes and evade criminal background checks by buying online or at a gun show. And, yes, if you're too dangerous to get on a plane, you are too dangerous to buy a gun in America."
While recognizing the loss of the victims of the shooting, Clinton offered, in closing, an optimistic outlook for the future of the United States as a united nation.
"As I look at American history, I see that this has always been a country of we, not me," she said. "We stand together because we are stronger together."