EMPATHY

Obama ‘Heartbroken’ Over Manchester Attack

Former president makes first comments after concert bombing.

Speaking at a Protestant conference alongside German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin, former President Barack Obama offered condolences to the victims of the terrorist attack in Manchester, England. “At a time when the world is a very complicated place, when we can see the terrible violence that took place just recently in Manchester,” Obama said he was “heartbroken” by “the loss of life” at the Ariana Grande concert. “It’s a reminder that there is great danger and terrorism and people who would do great harm to others just because they’re different,” he said. “It’s also a time of great opportunity and my hope is that, now that I’m no longer president, but still hopefully have a little bit of influence, that I’m going to be in a position to help more and more young people to deal with some of these challenges, to encourage a new generation of leadership, so that we can marginalize those who would try to divide us and bring together more and more people who are trying to unite us around a common good.” By contrast, in his statement, President Donald Trump repeatedly called the terrorists “losers” and declared, “This wicked ideology must be obliterated and I mean completely obliterated.”

—Matt Wilstein

See more of our coverage in your search results.

ADD THE DAILY BEAST ON GOOGLE

Matt WilsteinSenior Editor

Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.