President Obama said his national security team is working on identifying the U.S. citizens – and then launched into jokes and 16 minutes of prepared remarks

President Barack Obama provoked fury in the U.S. on Thursday by casually devoting less than a minute to the deaths of 295 people aboard a Malaysian airliner, as he began an often jokey 16-minute speech about the need to expand America’s transportation infrastructure.

There are no confirmed American dead and the White House issued a statement on Thursday evening which said they were still seeking any 'information to determine whether there were any American citizens on board'. 

An earlier Reuters report claimed that it was feared that as many as 23 U.S. citizens had perished.

Obama declared in Wilmington, Delaware that 'it looks like it may be a terrible tragedy,' but not before enthusiastically declaring that 'it is wonderful to be back in Delaware.'

+15

Condolences? Obama briefly mentioned the plane crash in eastern Ukraine on Thursday before launching into his prepared remarks and blaming Republicans for slow-walking transportation spending

+15

The president's speech went on as planned, complete with laugh lines, despite the deaths of nearly two dozen U.S. citizens in what appears to have been a deliberate missile attack

+15

Boston Globe reporter Matt Viser captured the online reactions to Obama's statement about the downed airliner

'Before I begin, obviously the world is watching reports of a downed passenger jet near the Russia-Ukraine border. And it looks like it may be a terrible tragedy. Right now we’re working to determine whether there were American citizens on board. That is our first priority.'

'And I've directed my national security team to stay in close contact with the Ukrainian governemnt. The United States will offer any assistance we can to help determine what happened and why. And as a country, our thoughts and prayers are with all the families and passengers, wherever they call home. 

Obama then jarringly quickly returned to his prepared remarks. 

'I want to thank Jeremie for that introduction' he said. 'Give Jeremie a big round of applause.'

'It is great to be in the state that gave us Joe Biden. We’ve got actually some better-looking Bidens with us here today.  We've got Beau and his wife, Hallie, are here. Give them a big round of applause. We love them.'

Obama mentions Malaysia plane crash only briefly in Delaware

+15

American victims? Obama spoke to Ukrainian President Poroshenko while he flew on Air Force One between Wilmington, Delaware and New York City but neither the state department nor Obama revealed if Americans were aboard MH17

Obama also acknowledged the presence of Treasury Secretary Jack Lew with a joke.

'Jack Lew’s signature is actually on your money,' he said, 'although it's kind of illegible. We teased him when he first became treasury secretary that he was going to have to fix his signature a little bit because it looked just like a caterpillar running along the bottom.' 

From there he launched into a 16-minute speech about transportation projects he wants Republicans to fund, complaining bitterly about their objections to his end-runs around the federal legislature.

'When I have a chance to help communities like Wilmington, I’m going to do it,' he said, as cable news networks focused on the lives lost in Eastern Ukraine.

'That’s when my administration takes these executive actions, when Congress won’t act. And so far, the only response we’ve gotten from the Republicans is a lawsuit. 

They're suing me for doing my job, instead of going ahead and doing their job.'

'That's disappointing,' Obama said. 'It’s a political stunt.'

Twitter erupted, with thousands of users expressing emotions ranging from disappointment to disgust. 

Former CNN host Piers Morgan reacted with his typical barbs.

'President Obama massively dropped the ball just now,' Morgan tweeted. '23 Americans killed and he says "it looks like a terrible tragedy" then back to jokes?'

'I agree,' responded singer Josh Groban. 'Bad prep. I was shocked.'

National Review reporter Charles Cooke tweeted: 'Shorter Obama: 'Something awful has happened with a plane. It’s awful. Awful. Republicans are bastards for not funding new airports".'

+15

Twitter reactions to Barack Obama?s statement that MH17 'might be a terrible tragedy' came in quickly, including from some celebrities

+15

MEP Daniel Hannan, an Englishman well-known to American audiences, vented his political spleen

+15

Post-speech glow: After 16 minutes of talk about infrastructure spending, Obama grinned for cameras while other world leaders focused on the mass-murder

+15

Debris: Smoke rises up at the plane's crash site near the village of Grabovo, Ukraine on Thursday afternoon

+15

Lunch as usual: With his national security advisers tracking developments in Ukraine, Obama greeted people at the Charcoal Pit restaurant in Wilmington, Delaware before delivering his speech