What did Donald Trump do today?

He declared that the mass murder in Sutherland Springs, Texas, was "not a guns situation."

Regardless of how one feels about American firearms policy, the shooting, which left 26 people dead of bullet wounds and a further 27 injured, absolutely was in every conceivable sense a "guns situation." 

Trump's larger point appears to have been that, regardless of the weapon used, the attack was the act of a "deranged individual." "I think that mental health is your problem here," he added by way of explanation.

Shortly after taking office, Trump signed a law overturning an Obama-era regulation making it harder for people with mental illnesses to buy guns. Trump has also proposed $400 million in cuts to federal mental health programs.

Why is this a bad thing?

• The whole purpose of a budget is to reflect an administration's actual priorities.

• You can either be for or against people with mental health issues having guns; not both.

• A president should be able to address a tragedy without becoming completely incoherent.