In a statement released by the White House on Monday morning, President Barack Obama expressed sympathy for the parents of Trayvon Martin and called his death a "tragedy" while urging those angered by the verdict not to get carried away by their passions. It marks the second time President Obama has weighed in on the controversy surrounding the George Zimmerman trial - in March 2012, the president told reporters that "when I think about this boy, I think about my own kids", adding, "if I had a son, he'd look like Trayvon". Watch video of protestors of the verdict below.
"I think they are right to expect that all of us, as Americans, are going to take this with the seriousness it deserves and that we're going to get to the bottom of exactly what happened," said Obama then.
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After the verdict, some of the president's political opponents criticized him for his expressions of sympathy toward Martin and Martin's family. Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa), told Fox News on Sunday morning that he thought Zimmerman should never even have been prosecuted, adding that Obama "engaged in this and turned it into a political issue that should have been handled exclusively with law and order." Watch video of King's appearance below.
Ann Coulter, a conservative commentator, tweeted, "Hallelujah!" just minutes after the not-guilty verdict was announced, in an expression of support for George Zimmerman.
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In his statement, Obama said the death of Trayvon Martin was "a tragedy".
"Not just for his family, or for any one community, but for America. I know this case has elicited strong passions. And in the wake of the verdict, I know those passions may be running even higher.
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"But we are a nation of laws, and a jury has spoken. I now ask every American to respect the call for calm reflection from two parents who lost their young son.
"And as we do, we should ask ourselves if we're doing all we can to widen the circle of compassion and understanding in our own communities. We should ask ourselves if we're doing all we can to stem the tide of gun violence that claims too many lives across this country on a daily basis.
"We should ask ourselves, as individuals and as a society, how we can prevent future tragedies like this. As citizens, that's a job for all of us. That's the way to honor Trayvon Martin."
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