Remarks Following a Meeting With Families of the Victims of the Terrorist Attack in San Bernardino, California

Hello, everybody. I just had a chance to meet with the families of the majority of the victims of the San Bernardino tragedy. It was so moving for Michelle and myself in part because it was so representative of the country. You had people from every background, every faith. Some described their loved ones who had come to this country as immigrants, others who had lived in the area all their lives, all of them extraordinarily proud of the work they were doing to keep people healthy and safe here in this community.

And as difficult as this time is for them and for this entire community, they're also representative of the strength and the unity and the love that exists in this community and in this country. And as we go into the holiday season, even as we are vigilant about preventing terrorist attacks from happening, even as we insist that we can't accept the notion of mass shootings in public places and of places of work and worship, we have to remind ourselves of the overwhelming good that exists out there.

And if you met some of these folks, despite the pain and the heartache that they're feeling, they could not have been more inspiring and more proud of their loved ones and more insistent that something good comes out of this tragedy. And many of them are already taking initiatives to reach out, to speak out on behalf of community and tolerance and treating people with respect. Many were interested in how we can prevent shootings like this from happening in the future.

It was a reminder of what's good in this country. And I hope that's something that gives all Americans a sense of pride and a sense of hope as we go into our celebrations of our faith and our families and our country. All right?

Thank you, everybody.