Obama photo shows exact moment he learned of Sandy Hook shooting
The President reacts as John Brennan briefs him on the details of the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. The President later said during a TV interview that this was the worst day of his Presidency.”
Stashed among the 84 photos released by the White House yesterday is one of a grim-faced President Obama in the exact moment that he learned of the Sandy Hook shooting.
Obama is shown leaning against the back of a couch, his arms folded and his legs crossed as security advisor John Brennan tells him of the tragedy on December 14, 2012.
“The President reacts as John Brennan briefs him on the details of the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.,” White House photographer Pete Souza wrote in the caption.
“The President later said during a TV interview that this was the worst day of his presidency.”
Gunman Adam Lanza opened fire at the school, killing 20 first graders using a semi-automatic assault rifle.
He also killed six adults at the school, his mother and finally, himself.
Children from Sandy Hook Elementary returned to school in a new setting in a neighboring town on Thursday, Reuters reported.
More from GlobalPost: Obama reacts to Sandy Hook shooting with tears
After the tragedy, Americans saw a president as saddened as anyone when he delivered televised remarks.
“The majority of those who died today were children, beautiful little kids between the ages of 5 and 10 years old,” the president said last month before pausing and wiping away a tear.
“They had their entire lives ahead of them, birthdays, graduations, weddings, kids of their own.”
The White House Flickr page has been publishing pictures from inside the White House, a move that is designed to portray leaders as real people with real emotions, one PR expert noted.
The White House has uploaded more than 4,000 images to Flickr since 2009.
“These messages vary day to day, but they usually are designed to show the president as a decisive leader who projects America’s global leadership,” political consultant Marcel Wieder told Yahoo News.
“They also try to humanize him so that ordinary Americans can relate to him. That’s why they show him playing basketball, hanging out with his wife and children or visiting a local burger joint.”