Republicans, Democrats Interpret Orlando Incident Differently This is because it goes against the Dem’s meta-narritive. From Gallup:
Republicans and Democrats have starkly different interpretations of what the recent mass shooting at an Orlando nightclub represents. While 79% of Republicans view it primarily as an act of Islamic terrorism, the majority of Democrats, 60%, see it as an act of domestic gun violence. Given Republicans’ more lopsided views, Americans as a whole tilt toward describing it as a terrorist act.