Reprising his frequent role of ¡°consoler in chief,¡± President Barack Obama will fly to Orlando on Thursday to meet with survivors of the massacre at a gay nightclub and families of some of the 49 people killed.

The White House said Obama¡¯s visit to the Florida city, where Omar Mateen pledged allegiance to Islamic State during a three-hour rampage through the Pulse nightclub, was not about the gunman but comforting the victims of the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.

¡°This will be, I think, an emotional trip,¡± White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters, saying Obama would offer condolences on behalf of the nation.