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Trump Used a Cheat Sheet to Remind Him to Show Empathy to School Shooting Survivors

Trump's Notes Visible During School Shooting Listening Session

On Wednesday President Trump held a listening session at the White House for students and parents affected by school shootings following the recent massacre in Parkland, Florida. While the president listened to grieving parents and students plead with him to make meaningful changes when it comes to student safety, eagle-eyed Associated Press photographer Carolyn Kaster snapped a shot of the handwritten notes Trump used to navigate the meeting.

The items on the agenda are numbered, with the first item reminding the president to ask: “What would you most want me to know about your experience?” The second item is partially obscured by Trump’s hands, but we can safely assume reads “What can we do to help you feel safe?”

Items three and four are blocked, but the item number five is clearly visible and seems to remind the president to afford people experiencing overwhelming trauma basic dignity and respect. The last note on the card is simply an explicit reminder to tell people experiencing overwhelming trauma: “I hear you.”

Andrew Pollack, a parent mourning the shooting death of 18-year-old Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School student Meadow Pollack, made a particularly strong impression at the summit.

“It should have been one school shooting and we should have fixed it and I’m pissed. Because my daughter, I’m not going to see again,” Pollack said. “King David Cemetery, that is where I go to see my kid now.”

“Fix it!” Pollack told Trump.

We hope the president heard him.