Reprising his frequent role of "consoler in chief," President Barack Obama will fly to Orlando on Thursday to meet with survivors of the massacre at a gay nightclub and families of some of the 49 people killed.
The White House said Obama's visit to the Florida city, where Omar Mateen pledged allegiance to Islamic State during a three-hour rampage through the Pulse nightclub, was not about the gunman but comforting the victims of the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.
"This will be, I think, an emotional trip," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters, saying Obama would offer condolences on behalf of the nation.