Presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton planned to speak about economic inequality, rebuilding infrastructure and how unions helped build America’s middle class during her most recent visit to Pittsburgh.
That plan changed after the largest mass shooting in U.S. history left 50 people dead and 53 injured Sunday at gay nightclub Pulse in Orlando, Florida.
“Today, there are different things on my mind and probably on yours too,” Clinton said. “We are all still reeling from what happened on Sunday in Orlando.”
On Tuesday, more than 700 people gathered at the Circuit Center and Ballroom for International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union No. 5 in South Side to hear Clinton speak. For about a half hour, Clinton spoke on her plans going forward from the Orlando mass shooting and heavily compared herself to presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump, particularly on immigration policy, gun control and fighting terrorism.
Early in her speech, Clinton said it was “especially great” to come to Pittsburgh after the Pittsburgh Penguins won the Stanley Cup Sunday night.
“County Executive [Rich Fitzgerald] and I were talking, and he said something that really struck me,” Clinton said. “The Penguins did this the old-fashioned way — teamwork, hard work and resilience. And that’s what we’re going to do with this election.”
Nonetheless, the events in Orlando primarily dominated the day’s focus. Clinton specifically mentioned the two Pennsylvanian victims of the shooting — Akira Murray and Patience Carter. At 18 years old, Murray was the youngest victim of the shooting. Carter, who suffered a gunshot wound to her leg, survived.
“It is a poignant reminder that even in a country as big as ours, we are all connected,” Clinton said. “We need to lift up voices of moderation and tolerance.”
Clinton also addressed Trump’s statement that she wants to abolish the Second Amendment — a characterization the business mogul repeated during his own Pittsburgh appearance Saturday afternoon.
“I believe we Americans are capable of both protecting our Second Amendment rights while making sure guns don’t fall into the wrong hands,” Clinton said.
A common attack of Republican party members — such as former Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz — against President Barack Obama also became part of Clinton’s speech, when the former Secretary of State defended the president’s choice not to label the shooting an act of “radical Islamic terrorism” — a decision for which Trump demanded President Obama’s resignation.
“It matters what we do, not just what we say,” Clinton said. “In the end, it didn’t matter what we called [Osama] bin Laden. It mattered that we got bin Laden.”
Before Clinton took to the stage, District 4 Councilwoman Natalia Rudiak, Democratic candidate for Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro and United Steelworkers’ President Leo Gerard spoke.
During his speech, Shapiro also took a moment to honor the victims of the Orlando mass shooting in his speech.
“We find strength in one another and strength in our shared values,” Shapiro said. “Our choice is to be divided or our choice is to come together.”
Rudiak said she has been with “our girl” Clinton since day one and that Clinton is the right person to unite Americans.
“Our country is in need of a leader who leads with compassion and not hate,” Rudiak said. “[Clinton] has been fighting for our rights and protection for years. She is with all of us.”
Sharpsville residents Erin Picor and Nick King said they support Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders but decided to learn more about Clinton before they cast their votes in the November general election.
“I know that they agree on a lot,” King said. “Her plans are a lot more thought-out [than Sanders’ plans],” King said. “She has a lot of experience.”
According to the Associated Press, Clinton gained enough delegates to clinch the Democratic nomination just before winning the California primary June 6. Obama officially endorsed Clinton for the Democratic nomination three days later.
Fox Chapel resident Lani Lazzari said though Clinton gets a bad rap for supposedly being corrupt, she thinks Clinton is a good person to represent the Democratic party.
“This is a particularly important election because she is both a woman and someone I think is really qualified to be in office,” Lazzari said. “It’s something historic, and something I didn’t want to miss out on.”