Photo courtesy of Carlos Guillermo Smith
The group of surrogates included Donald Trump's daughter-in-law Laura Trump, "The Apprentice" star Omarosa, Trump Organization executive Lynne Patton and YouTube stars Diamond and Silk, according to The Washington Times. According to the Times:
They laid a wreath and bouquets of flowers at the makeshift memorial. They also wrote messages on the canvas-covered fence surrounding the building that is covered with handwritten remembrances for the victims and pleas for peace.
After the women left, a message written on a large hart-shaped drawing on the canvas read: "You will forever be in our hearts, love from NYC."
Carlos Guillermo Smith, of Equality Florida, says he was visiting the site with Angel Santiago, a survivor of the shooting, when they saw the campaign bus pull in. Smith called the visit by Trump surrogates "unbelievable."
"Trump’s entire campaign has been based on hate, racism and bigotry," he says. "Hate, racism and bigotry combined with easy access to assault weapons is what destroyed these lives forever. Orlando has overwhelmingly rejected Trump’s message, and if you don’t believe me, you will on Nov. 8."
In the wake of the Pulse mass shooting on June 12, Trump tweeted, "Appreciate the congrats for being right on radical Islamic terrorism, I don't want congrats, I want toughness & vigilance. We must be smart!"
Back in August, local LGBTQ activists along with Pulse survivors and family members of the Pulse victims protested Trump after he and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio attended a religious conference where several speakers held anti-gay positions. On Wednesday, Christine Leinonen, the mother of Pulse victim Christopher “Drew” Leinonen, appeared in an ad directed by the Human Rights Campaign asking Americans to vote for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
