Donald Trump is under fire again, this time for comments critics are calling “disgraceful” and “embarrassing” in the wake of the Brown University mass shooting that left two people dead and nine others injured this past weekend.
Speaking at the White House Christmas reception, Trump began by praising Brown University as a “great school, really one of the greatest schools anywhere in the world.” But what followed quickly overshadowed the compliment.
“Things can happen, so to the nine injured, get well fast. And to the families of those two who are no longer with us, I pay my deepest regards and respects from the United States of America. Thank you very much. It’s a very important thing to say. And we mean it,” Trump said.
It was that first line—“Things can happen”—that ignited a firestorm online. For many, it read as a chillingly casual dismissal of a tragedy that rocked the campus community. Social media users were quick to highlight what they saw as a stark lack of empathy from the president.
California Governor Gavin Newsom’s press office didn’t mince words, writing on behalf of the potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidate: “No words.”
In a moment when families are grieving and students are in shock, critics argue that the leader of a nation—or someone hoping to lead it again—should speak with more compassion and clarity. Trump’s remarks, however, landed somewhere between perfunctory condolences and a shrug, leaving many to question whether empathy was even considered.
Watch Trump’s remarks and some of the reactions below:
Trump on the shooting at Brown University: “Things can happen” pic.twitter.com/HOBmgTuD85
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) December 14, 2025
