Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton weigh in after Dallas shootings
Political leaders and the 2016 presidential candidates are speaking out about the deadly shootings that have shaken America.
Donald Trump sent an early morning message on Twitter Friday, addressing the victims and their families.
The Trump campaign released a statement Friday morning further addressing the "horrific execution-style" shootings, calling them a "coordinated, premeditated assault on the men and women who keep us safe."
"We must restore law and order. We must restore the confidence of our people to be safe and secure in their homes and on the street," Trump wrote. "[W]e pray for our brave police officers and first responders who risk their lives to protect us every single day."
He also weighed in on the two black men in Louisiana and Minnesota who were fatally shot earlier this week by police officers, noting that their "senseless, tragic deaths" reminds the nation "how much more needs to be done." (While Trump called the two men "motorists" in his statement, one of the men -- Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, Louisiana -- was not in a vehicle at the time of the shooting.)
Trump canceled his scheduled trip to Miami, Florida Friday, according to a campaign statement.
Presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, who was scheduled to campaign with Vice President Joe Biden in Scranton, Pennsylvania Friday, has postponed her event. According to a campaign statement, the rally will be rescheduled "due to the tragic events in Dallas."
In a tweet Friday morning, Clinton said she grieved for the law enforcement officials that gave their lives Thursday:
According to a Clinton aide, the former secretary of state spoke to Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings by phone Friday "to express solidarity and her condolences, and offered any help she can provide."
Clinton is still expected to speak at the African Methodist Episcopal Church convention in Philadelphia later.
Other politicians also tweeted their own praises for law enforcement officials, including Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, a Republican, who posted a message to Twitter Thursday:
Former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a staunch Trump supporter and possible vice presidential pick for the billionaire, called for an "honest, open conversation" about the recent shootings.
"This has been a terrible couple of days for America and it should be a wake-up call that there's some things that are profoundly wrong in this country right now," Gingrich told Fox News Friday.
He also took jabs at Clinton and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders saying that "all American lives" should matter, rather than the refrain "black lives matter."
"All American lives matter of all backgrounds," Gingrich said. "We ought to have -- we ought to challenge the Hillary Clintons and the Bernie Sanders to say that American lives matter."
Late Thursday night, gunfire broke out in Dallas during a peaceful protest -- one of several in cities across the nation -- for the Black Lives Matter movement.
The attack on police killed five officers and injured seven others, according to Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings. Two civilians were also shot and wounded in the attack.
Rawlings told "CBS This Morning" that he was unsure how many people were responsible for the attack. One suspect has been killed.
President Obama condemned the shootings, calling them a "vicious, calculated and despicable" attack on law enforcement during a NATO summit in Warsaw, Poland.
"There is no possible justification for these kinds of attacks or any violence against law enforcement," Mr. Obama said. The president added that he had spoken with Mayor Rawlings to "convey the deepest condolences of the American people" and assured the people of Dallas that "the federal government will provide whatever assistance" the city needs.
The targeted slayings come after two fatal shootings by police officers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Falcon Heights, Minnesota were caught on video earlier this week.
Those incidents sparked outrage nationwide over police violence against black civilians, even prompting responses from top political figures and a Department of Justice investigation into the Baton Rouge killing.
President Obama posted a lengthy Facebook note Thursday about the two police shootings, saying he was "deeply troubled" by the deaths of the two black men involved, Alton Sterling in Louisiana and Philando Castile in Minnesota.
"To admit we've got a serious problem in no way contradicts our respect and appreciation for the vast majority of police officers who put their lives on the line to protect us every single day," Mr. Obama wrote on Thursday. "It is to say that, as a nation, we can and must do better to institute the best practices that reduce the appearance or reality of racial bias in law enforcement."
The vice president also weighed in Thursday after the shootings.
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton sent tweets about the Sterling and Castilo shootings on Thursday, reiterating that "Black Lives Matter."