Nightclub massacre - the turning point that could change the race to the White House

The horrific shooting at a nightclub in Orlando could have important implications for both candidates in the US presidential election in November.

SWAT officers at the scene. Photo: AP

Early on the morning of June 12, a man opened fire on a crowd inside the Pulse gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, killing at least 50 people and injuring dozens.

While US police and authorities are stepping up their investigation into the bloodiest massacre in US history, the two main candidates in the upcoming presidential election, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, seem to be taking full advantage of the incident to score points with US voters, according to CNN.

Commentator Julian Zelizer ofCNNIt is argued that in virtually every case of terrorist acts occurring in the middle of an election year, the parties seek to adjust their campaigns to suit the situation, or seek to use the incident to directly attack their opponents' campaign lines.

Zelizer explains that candidates' campaigns are always deeply affected by unexpected national security crises, and whether they like it or not, candidates will need to come up with "politicized" responses to ensure that their opponents cannot gain an advantage.

In this case, both Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Trump quickly reacted and did not want the incident to adversely affect their statements and election policies related to US national security issues.

Immediately after the incident, former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke out to emphasize the importance of restricting gun ownership for the American people, a determination that goes against the Republican Party's stance that President Obama pursued during his two terms in the White House.

Besides, she also spoke out against the real estate billionaire's "childish" views regarding national security issues.

The former first lady stressed that keeping America safe means defeating international terrorist groups. To do this, the US must cooperate well with allies and partners to hunt them down and prevent them from recruiting people. Donald Trump's view of allyship is a real threat to national security.

The advantage is leaning towards Donald Trump?

However, Figaro commentator Laure Mandeville said that overall, this bloody shooting seems to have many positive effects for Republican candidate Donald Trump.

According to Mandeville, the incident is likely to continue to increase anxiety and concerns about the dangers posed by terrorist organizations that have killed hundreds of people in the past 18 months among American voters.

In hindsight, voters may find that Mr Trump was right in some ways. The nightclub incident confirms his warnings about the threat of radical Islam in America.

After President Obama's speech, the Republican candidate immediately pointed out that he was "right" to warn about the threat of radical Islamic terrorism and criticized that the fact that the White House boss did not mention the phrase "radical Islam" in his speech after the massacre was enough to make him resign. Trump also affirmed that if Hillary Clinton could not mention the phrase after this incident, she should also give up the race for the White House.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. Photo: Salon.com

According to Zelizer, although there is no official conclusion about the perpetrator's motive, the fact that the incident took place at a nightclub for homosexuals suggests that anti-homosexual sentiment, a prominent psychological trait among radical Islamic groups, was one of the suspect's motives.

Moreover, the incident will also put a lot of pressure on Mrs. Clinton herself. As stated in his message, Trump and the Republican congressmen will use this tragedy to raise questions about the experience related to ensuring national security of the Democratic Party and Mrs. Clinton's own campaign team.

The real estate billionaire will certainly criticize the recent attack as evidence that the Obama administration, an ally of Mrs. Clinton, is not strong and decisive enough in the fight against IS and does not have reasonable measures to prevent attacks by "lone wolves" targeting innocent civilians.

"For Trump, this horrific shooting is a testament to the validity of his controversial statements regarding Islam and immigration," Zelizer said.

However, fear and panic will raise more questions and doubts from voters about whether Mr. Trump can be trusted to control a terrorist attack and whether he has the knowledge, temperament, wisdom and courage to lead the country through such incidents.

Moreover, the real estate billionaire's statements could also become a target of criticism from opponents who argue that his often "instinctive" reactions are evidence that he is not trustworthy in terms of competence and responsibility.

"Both candidates are trying to use the incident as an opportunity to attack their opponents. Each side has its own arguments and arguments. The candidate who knows how to orient and cleverly take advantage of the voters' psychology will prevail in this unexpected but important turn," commented Mandeville.

The massacre at the American nightclub. Graphics: New York Times.

According to VNE