Updated February 16, 2018 12:53:41

Declaring the nation united and grieving with "one heavy heart," US President Donald Trump promised to tackle school safety and "the difficult issue of mental health" in response to the deadly high school shooting in Florida.

He made no mention of the scourge of gun violence.

Not always a natural in the role of national comforter, Mr Trump spoke deliberately, at one point directly addressing children who may feel "lost, alone, confused or even scared."

"I want you to know that you are never alone and you never will be," Mr Trump said.

"You have people who care about you, who love you, and who will do anything at all to protect you."

Trump budget cut mental health funding

While Mr Trump stressed the importance of mental health and school safety improvements, his latest budget request would slash Medicaid, the major source of federal funding for treating mental health problems, and cut school safety programs by more than a third.

Last year, he signed a resolution blocking an Obama-era rule designed to keep guns out of the hands of certain mentally disabled people.

The President spoke to the nation from the White House, one day after a former student with an AR15 rifle opened fire at a high school in Parkland, Florida, killing 17 people and injuring 14 more.

It was the nation's deadliest school shooting since a gunman attacked an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, more than five years ago.

Mr Trump, who owns a private club in Palm Beach, Florida, said he planned to visit the grieving community, but no date was immediately set. He cancelled plans to promote his infrastructure plan in Orlando on Friday and to attend a campaign rally in Pennsylvania next week.

Speech focused on 'grief, compassion'

Mr Trump's silence on guns was noted with displeasure by many who are seeking tougher firearm restrictions. But the White House said the President wanted to keep his remarks focused on the victims.

Spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the point was "to talk about grief and show compassion in unifying the country".

Before he was a candidate, Mr Trump at one point favoured some tighter gun regulations. But he embraced gun rights as a candidate, and the National Rifle Association spent $30 million in support of his campaign.

During his brief, televised statement, Mr Trump said he wanted to work to "create a culture in our country that embraces the dignity of life", a phrase likely to resonate with his conservative base.

He pledged to work with state and local officials to "help secure our schools and tackle the difficult issue of mental health", adding that safe schools would be a key focus when he meets with governors and state attorneys general later this month.

No policy responses suggested

Mr Trump made no specific policy recommendations, and he did not answer shouted questions about guns as he exited the room.

In contrast, former President Barack Obama tweeted out a call for "long overdue, common-sense gun safety laws." Mr Obama wrote:

"We are grieving with Parkland. But we are not powerless. Caring for our kids is our first job. And until we can honestly say that we're doing enough to keep them safe from harm, including long overdue, common-sense gun safety laws that most Americans want, then we have to change."

In reacting to previous mass shootings, Mr Trump has largely focused on mental health as a cause, dismissing questions about gun control. After a shooting at a Texas church in November left more than two dozen dead, the President said, "This isn't a guns situation."

The 19-year-old suspect in Florida, Nikolas Cruz, is a troubled teenager who posted disturbing material on social media.

He had been expelled from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School for "disciplinary reasons," Broward County, Florida, Sheriff Scott Israel said.

Shooter Cruz wore Trump hat in photo

Photo: Nikolas Cruz is a former student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. (AP: Broward County Jail)

The profile photo on Mr Cruz's Instagram account showed a masked face wearing a "Make America Great Again" hat like those associated with Mr Trump's campaign.

A former Junior ROTC cadet, Mr Cruz had participated in paramilitary drills with a white nationalist organisation, according to its leader, Jordan Jereb.

Mr Trump was criticised in early August for saying that both white nationalists and counter-protesters were responsible for the violent clashes at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

While Mr Trump has offered sombre responses to some tragedies, he has also drawn criticism for other reactions.

After the Orlando shootings at a gay nightclub that left 49 dead in June 2016, then-candidate Mr Trump tweeted: "Appreciate the congrats for being right on radical Islamic terrorism."

In the wake of a deadly terror attack in London last June, he went after Mayor Sadiq Khan on Twitter.

AP

Topics: donald-trump, crime, law-crime-and-justice, police, united-states

First posted February 16, 2018 12:35:28