DAYTON, Ohio _ President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump visited victims from Sunday's mass shooting in Dayton's Oregon District on Wednesday.
"You had God watching. I want you to know we're with you all the way," Trump said to one of the victims, according to press secretary Stephanie Grisham.
Media outlets were not allowed to be with the president and first lady as they visited victims of the shooting, which left nine people dead.
"We will be meeting with first responders, law enforcement and some of the victims," President Trump said Wednesday.
The president and first lady were "stopping between rooms to thank the hardworking medical staff," Grisham said.
When asked about comments Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley and political leaders in Texas made about his "rhetoric" on guns, the president said "they are trying to make political points."
Trump spoke to Whaley as he got off of Air Force One at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base around 11 a.m. local time. The mayor and Sen. Sherrod Brown plan to talk about the visit later Wednesday.
President Trump said when he talked to Whaley right after the shooting, the conversation "couldn't have been nicer."
Mayor Whaley said she will greet the president, but said his "rhetoric has been painful for many in our community and I think people should stand up and say they are not happy if they are not happy he's coming," Whaley said.
Several people gathered Tuesday afternoon at City Hall to protest the president's visit.
"Look, I have no sense of what's in President Trump's mind at all, right?" she said. "I can only hope that as president of the United States he's coming here because he wants to add value to our community, and he recognizes that that's what our community needs."
President Trump on Wednesday said the blame for the shooting in Dayton and the El Paso shooting a day earlier, which left 22 dead, belong on the shooters.
"These are sick people," Trump said. He said he is going to meet with Congress and "come up with something that's going to be really good."
"I'm looking to do background checks," Trump said. "I don't want to put guns in the hands of mentally ill people.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and his wife were the first in line to meet the president on the tarmac. Whaley, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, U.S. Sen. Rob Portman met the president and first lady as they got off of the plane.
Congressman Mike Turner, a Republican whose district includes Dayton, also met them as they got off of the plane. His daughter, Jessica joined him. She was in the Oregon District when the shooting happened Sunday morning.
"This tragedy must become a catalyst for a broader national conversation about what we can do to stop these mass shootings. I look forward to continuing this debate with my colleagues in Congress, as well as discussing these measures with the President during his trip to Dayton," Turner said.
Accompanying the president during his stop at Miami Valley Hospital were Mary Boosalis, president of Premier Health; Mike Uhl, president of Miami Valley Hospital; and Mikki Clancy, chief operating officer of Miami Valley Hospital.
Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, was with Trump Wednesday.
"This was an unspeakable tragedy and our focus should be on helping the community heal. Rob looks forward to joining the president on his visit," Portman spokesperson Emily Benavides said.
U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, originally said he would not meet with the president during his visit to Dayton, but tweeted Wednesday morning that he had changed his mind.
"I wrestled with the right thing to do when Trump visits Dayton today. I decided I have a responsibility to look him in the eye and urge him to do the right thing," Brown said.
