“Things can happen.” That was how President Donald Trump put it on Sunday as he spoke at a White House Christmas reception after a deadly shooting at Brown University in Rhode Island. His short line did not sit well with many people who expected a fuller answer from the nationβs leader.
Trump on the shooting at Brown University: βThings can happenβ pic.twitter.com/HOBmgTuD85
β Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) December 14, 2025
The shooting struck the Barus and Holley building during final exams on Dec. 13. Two students died and nine others were hurt in the attack, which sent students and staff into shelter in place and shocked the campus community.
University officials said the victims were students and that campus life would be paused as the school and the city mourned. Christina Paxson, Brownβs president, told families that the university was offering help and that at least one person had been released from the hospital while others remain in critical but stable condition.
Authorities briefly detained 24 year old Benjamin Erickson of Wisconsin at a Hampton Inn in Coventry early Sunday, but officials later released him after saying available evidence pointed in a different direction and did not justify charges.
At the White House, Trump sought to tie the Brown attack to other violent incidents over the weekend. He mentioned a deadly attack in Australia that targeted a Hanukkah event and the killing of American service members in Syria.
He spoke plainly and moved quickly through his remarks. βBrown University, great school… really one of the greatest schools anywhere in the world,β he said. βThings can happen. So to the nine injured – get well fast; and to the families of those two that are no longer with us, I pay my deepest regards and respects from the United States of America.β
He also addressed the attack in Australia and urged United States Jews to mark their holiday with pride. βWe celebrate Hanukkah,β he said, and called the Bondi Beach attack βa purely antisemitic attack.β The president added that the strike on US forces in Syria would be met with a strong response.
Many people found the tone thin and the words too brief. Social posts on X and other platforms showed anger, pain, and blunt mockery from people who wanted more than short phrases. Below are some of the reactions that capture that feeling exactly as they were posted.
Charlie Kirk got shot and we did a month-long pep rally. But for these folks it’s “things can happen.”
β Warren (@swd2) December 14, 2025
They are not βthingsβ you pathetic monster. They are human beings. How are you gonna twist it to somehow be Bidenβs fault?
β Stella Parton (@StellaParton) December 14, 2025
He can’t even offer condolences without sounding like a complete sociopath. Absolutely zero empathy
β Geo Brimm (@georgebrimmer88) December 14, 2025
As always, a towering fountain of empathy.
β Brian Stack (@BrianStack153) December 14, 2025
School shootings
Republicans: things happen
Charlie Kirk
Republicans: we need to have an entire month of events and pretend this is the worst thing ever. Someone parade the widow with her fake crying too and go on recently failed CBS.
Propaganda is so dumb.
β Jordan Lamonte III (@jlamonteIII) December 14, 2025
βThings happenβ – that’s not leadership, thatβs a shrug with a microphone.
β ππ¦ππππ_πΎπ¦π£π (@SundaeDivine) December 14, 2025
“Things can happen.” – Our president… It’s almost like he couldn’t be bothered
β Dude (@DudeMetaX) December 14, 2025
MAGA when another mass shooting happens⦠pic.twitter.com/31vgXwgvim
β Janitor Jack πΊπΈπΊπ¦π±π»πΈπͺ (@JanitorJack2) December 14, 2025
βThank you very muchββ for what??? People died and/or were gravely wounded in another school shooting.
I really wish heβd stop using that throw away line β especially when itβs so out of context and inappropriate.
It proves that heβs just reading the words, without empathy.
β Amy B (@amyblance2000) December 14, 2025
The campus was quiet on Sunday as students and faculty gathered for vigils. Staff said counseling was available and that the university would work with local authorities as the investigation moved forward.
Providence leaders praised first responders and asked for calm while investigators piece together what happened. Officials have said that public safety is the top priority and that they will release more details when they can do so without harming the probe.
This moment has reopened old questions about campus safety and gun violence in schools. For students and families, the questions are close and immediate and not solved by short phrases at a party. The grief remains.
Featured image via X screengrab
