In the hours after alleged gunman Stephen Paddock opened fire and killed at least 58 people outside the Mandalay Bay Hotel on the Las Vegas strip on Sunday night (October 1), President Trump addressed the nation from the White House, describing the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history as an “act of pure evil.” Delivering a more measured response compared to his earlier tweet about the incident, Trump said Americans are joined in “sadness, shock and grief.”

“In times such as these I know we are searching for some kind of meaning in the chaos, some kind of light in the darkness,” he said. “The answers do not come easy. But we can take solace knowing that even the darkest space can be brightened by a single light, and even the most terrible despair can be illuminated by a single ray of hope.”

Trump, who is scheduled to visit Puerto Rico on Tuesday, also mentioned that he will be heading to Las Vegas just one day after. “I will be visiting Las Vegas on Wednesday to meet with law enforcement, first responders and the families of the victims,” he said. “In moments of tragedy and horror, America comes together as one.”

The gunman in the melee, identified as Stephen Paddock, was pronounced dead by Las Vegas police in his hotel room shortly after the shooting.