President Obama's On-Camera Condolences on Amtrak Crash Come After Qatari Leader's
“I offer my prayers for those who grieve," Obama said.
CAMP DAVID — -- President Obama expressed his condolences for the victims of Tuesday’s Amtrak crash in Philadelphia -- but not until after the leader of a foreign nation did so first.
The president’s statement came at the beginning of a news conference that capped off a day of meetings with representatives from six Gulf states on the Iran nuclear negotiations and related regional issues at the Camp David presidential retreat outside of Washington.
“I offer my prayers for those who grieve," Obama said. "A speedy recovery for the many who were injured as they work to recover. And we will cooperate, obviously, at every level of government to make sure that we get answers in terms of precisely what happened.”
He also made a call for maintaining a commitment to spending on infrastructure improvements around the country, given congressional negotiations on transportation funding happening back in Washington.
While the president issued a written statement on Tuesday after the crash, he passed up two prior opportunities to comment on it on camera -- first during a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office with a Saudi delegation Wednesday, then during a joint statement with the Qatari emir -- before he finally did so.
Earlier Thursday, the emir of Qatar, Tamim Al Thani, offered his condolences during a joint statement he made with Obama.
“I wanted to say something important ... on behalf of all Gulf countries," he said. "We want to send our deepest condolences to the president and the American people on the tragic train accident in Philadelphia.”