Florida Sen. Marco Rubio accepted an invitation to join President Barack Obama Thursday on Air Force One for his flight to Orlando, where the president will pay respects to victims of last weekend's massacre by an ISIS-inspired gunman.
The White House said Obama wanted to "show solidarity" after the attack at a gay nightclub where 49 people were gunned down by shooter Omar Mateen, Guardian reporter
Sabrina Siddiqui said in a tweet.
The attack was the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history and the deadliest terror attack on American soil since Sept. 11, 2001.
Rubio's invitation in the trip to Orlando comes as he reconsiders whether to
run for re-election for his Senate seat.
Obama plans to meet with the families of people killed, comfort survivors of the attack, thank emergency workers, and speak about the broader issues at stake, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters on Wednesday,
Bloomberg reported.
Most of the president's day will be spent in private meetings with families of the dead, survivors and law enforcement officers and officials.
"The victims who were killed were enjoying a fun Saturday night out," Eric Schultz, the White House principal deputy press secretary, said aboard Air Force One on Thursday, Bloomberg reports. "And suddenly they were taken from us."
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