The mother of a 21-year-old congressional intern who was gunned down in Washington, DC last month expressed her gratitude recently after receiving an unexpected and heartfelt letter about her son from President Trump.
“It just made me feel so good,” Tamara Tarpinian-Jachym said of the note from Trump. “People call [Trump] a monster, but he’s not. He’s such a human. He is so kind to kids.”
“I just couldn’t believe that he did this.”
Tarpinian-Jachym’s son, Eric, was shot alongside two other victims on June 30, about a mile from the White House, when multiple suspects emerged from a vehicle and opened fire, the Metropolitan Police Department said.
Eric, who police said was not the intended target, was unconscious when authorities arrived and died in the hospital the following day.
Eric, a rising senior at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the Isenberg School of Management, was in the nation’s capital interning for Rep. Ron Estes (R-Kan.) when he was murdered.
“He loved his job, he loved everybody there. He liked people on both sides of the aisle, and he worked with kids who were Democrats and Republicans,” Tarpinian-Jachym said during an interview on the Howie Carr Show on Friday, according to the Boston Herald.
She added that Trump’s letter “just drove it home.”
In the July 17 note to the slain intern’s mom, the president wrote that he and first lady Melania Trump were “devastated by the senseless act of violence” and “heartbroken” for her entire family.
“While we may never fully understand the impact that Eric has had during his meaningful life, we know he will be remembered for his kindness, faithfulness, and devotion to your family and his many friends,” Trump wrote. “He will also be remembered for his commitment to our country. I know how proud Congressman Estes was to have Eric represent his office, the people of Kansas’ Fourth Congressional District, and our Nation.”
“Eric will be held in my heart, and I promise to never forget or forgive the terrible act that took him from us,” the president continued. “Please know that my Administration will not stop fighting to clean up our streets and ensure law and order.”
“May God hold Eric in His eternal love and care and provide you and your other incredible children, Angela and Jeremy, with abiding peace and unending strength.”
The letter was read aloud by Massachusetts Republican Party Chairwoman Amy Carnevale during Eric’s funeral on Thursday – and is part of an outpouring of support Tarpinian-Jachym has received from Republicans in the aftermath of the tragedy, according to the Boston Herald.
His mom indicated that she heard from Trump before several prominent Massachusetts Democrats, including Gov. Maura Healey.
“The people in Massachusetts showed their true colors,” Tamara said.
Healey’s office told the Boston Herald that the governor connected with Eric’s family on Saturday, but provided no further details about the interaction.
DC police have yet to arrest a suspect in connection with Eric’s murder.
