Barack Obama grins and JOKES about his daughter during statement on Munich causing outrage
Obama told reporters "our hearts go out to those who may have been injured" before cracking a joke about his daughter's graduation
PRESIDENT Barack Obama sparked outrage when he smiled and joked as he delivered a statement on the horrifying attacks in Munich, which saw nine people slaughtered by a lone gunman.
Speaking from the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, Obama told reporters "our hearts go out to those who may have been injured" before cracking a joke about his daughter's graduation.
In the short statement to press and enforcement agents, the US President grins and chuckles after briefly addressing the massacre in Munich, which left the city in lockdown with nine people shot dead and 10 more injured.
He opened with a sombre tone, claiming solidarity with the German people in the wake of the atrocity.
He said: "Some of you are aware there were shootings in Germany. And we don't yet know exactly what's happening there, but obviously our hearts go out to those who may have been injured.
"It's still an active situation and Germany is one of our closest allies. So we are going to pledge all the support they may need in dealing with these circumstances."
He then reflects on the impact of similar atrocities on every-day lives of people.
"Our way of life, our freedoms, our ability to go about our business every day, raising our kids," he said before suddenly changing the mood of the speech.
Laughter erupted from the audience as he joked about his eldest daughter leaving him after graduating from high school.
The President added: ";And seeing them grow up and graduate from high school, and now about to leave their dad."
"I'm sorry. I'm getting too personal. Getting a little too personal there," he said grinning and gesturing to the audience to calm.
He wrapped up the speech by returning to the serious tone he had abandoned.
"That depends on law enforcement," he said. "It depends on the men and woman in uniform every single day, who are under some of the most adverse circumstances imaginable at times, making sure to keep us safe."
In response to the statement, one conservative tweeter posted: "Grinning #Obama JOKES during statement on Munich carnage".
Another angry social media user wrote: "Obama responds to this morning's terrorist attack by telling a JOKE".
In recent weeks the US has suffered through a series of shootings between officers and gunmen at Black Lives Matter protests.
Obama's statement also comes after a series of gruesome attacks that devastated France - 84 people were killed just over a week ago when a gunman ploughed a truck through a crowd of tourists in Nice.
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