CBS NEWS November 1, 2017, 7:25 PM
Trump's response to NYC attack in sharp contrast to Vegas massacre reaction
Last Updated Nov 1, 2017
President Trump's response to the attack Tuesday in New York City was in sharp contrast to what he did after the Las Vegas massacre.
It was one month ago Wednesday that a former accountant opened fire on a country music concert, killing 58 people.
In the days that followed, the president was clear it was not the time to discuss policy, CBS News' chief congressional correspondent Nancy Cordes reports.
"Well, we're not going to talk about that today," Mr. Trump had said during a news conference. "We won't talk about that. We'll be talking about gun laws as time goes by."
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In contrast, within hours of Tuesday's terror attack in lower Manhattan, the president was vowing "to step up our already extreme vetting program" and calling for an immigration overhaul.
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"We're going to get rid of this lottery program as soon as possible," he said.
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Wednesday it should not surprise anyone that the president is more focused on immigration.
"The president has been talking about extreme vetting and the need for that for purpose of protecting the citizens of this country since he was a candidate, long before he was president," Sanders said.
But the conflicting reactions to two tragedies angered some Muslim-American leaders.
"Why the hypocrisy, why the double standards?" Hassan Shilby asked.
The reactions also angered some Las Vegas survivors, who were lobbying on Capitol Hill on Wednesday. They're pushing for legislation banning the kind of devices that allowed Stephen Paddock to wound 500 people in a matter of minutes.
"We knew that something needed to be done and we just assumed the country was behind us, and I think a month later we've seen nothing happen," lobbyist Jason Sherman said.
Despite some initial GOP interest, a Senate bill banning bump stocks has 40 Democratic co-sponsors but no Republicans. And the Senate Judiciary Committee says it won't even hold a hearing on bump stocks until the Las Vegas investigation is further along.
One month after the Las Vegas massacre, three victims remain in the hospital. One is in critical condition.
CBS News correspondent Carter Evans spoke with some of the survivors, who he says are bonded not only in tragedy, but also gratitude.
Straining to speak, her jaw wired shut and healing from a tracheotomy, Natalie Grumet's voice still resonates.
"I remember everything," Grumet said. "As soon as I got shot, the girl next to me, a stranger, she took her shirt off and pressed it against my face and said, 'Hold this.'"
In the ambulance, she was confronted by another stranger, also a victim.
"He talked to me the whole time to the hospital, very calm, (saying), 'You are going to be okay, Natalie. We're almost there,'" she said. "And he had been shot too."
Addison Short, 18, was enjoying the Route 91 Festival with friends until a bullet shattered her lower leg. A stranger made a tourniquet and carried her to safety.
"There is no way I would have made it out without the help of strangers," Addison said. "I am just trying to take it day by day and I am beyond thankful that I am still here and my injuries are something I can recover from."
As Grumet recovers in California with her husband, and Addison at home in Las Vegas, both say they want to honor the memories of the 58 who did not survive -- and the many others who risked their lives to save others.
"There's a lot of ups and downs every day, and I have a very long road ahead of me," Grumet said. "I don't know if the left side of my face will every work the same. But at the same time, I'm grateful to be alive."
"Just because there was one horrible human being that night, disgusting, despicable act," she added. "There are more kind loving humans out there than you could ever imagine."
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