DALLAS — President Trump and Vice President Pence, on Friday, addressed the National Rifle Association's annual convention in Dallas.
The president’s speech was nearly 50 minutes and covered a multitude of topics, including school shootings, gun laws and immigration.
Highlights
- On the Second Amendment: "Your Second Amendment rights are under siege, but they will never, ever be under siege as long as I’m your President."
- On arming teachers: "They love their students. And they're not going to let anybody hurt their students. But you have to give them a chance."
- On the Parkland school shooter: "There has never been a case where more red flags have been shown."
- On North Korea: "We’re really doing well with North Korea. We’re really doing well, OK."
- On the midterm elections: "Don't be complacent. Don't be complacent."
- On current immigration laws: "We have laws written by people that truly could not love our country."
- On the special counsel investigation: "It's a witch hunt."
- On Kayne West: “By the way, Kanye West must have some power, because you probably saw I doubled my African-American poll numbers. We went from 11 to 22 in one week, thank you Kanye."
Pence Wrap-Up
"President Donald Trump and I both stand without apology for the Second Amendment, and in this administration, the right of the people to keep and bear arms will not be infringed," Pence said.
During his speech to the National Rifle Association, he mentioned several of the most recent mass shootings.
"We live in a time where mass shootings have claimed hundreds of lives in places of work and worship and public settings," Pence said. "An ISIS-inspired attack on the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, an attack on a country music concert last year in Las Vegas — the worst mass shooting in modern history. And the recent attack on Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida."
Pence then went on to chastise the national media, demanding that it “start telling the whole story to the American people about firearms in this country.”
Pence provided several examples of gun owners who used their firearms to stop crimes in progress.
Second Amendment 'under seige'
The president first promised to protect the Second Amendment as long as he is President.
"Thanks to your activism and dedication, you have an administration fighting to protect your Second Amendment and we will protect your Second Amendment," he said.
Trump told the crowd of NRA members that their Second Amendment right is under siege.
Thank you, Kanye
He also took time to thank artist Kanye West for a boostin his African American approval numbers.
“By the way, Kanye West must have some power, because you probably saw I doubled my African-American poll numbers. We went from 11 to 22 in one week, thank you Kanye,” he said, joking that “even the pollsters” thought there was a mistake.
West has been vocal about his support of the president recently, tweeting a picture of himself wearing a "Make America Great Again" hat.
Don't get 'complacent'
"Don't be complacent. Don't be complacent," Trump urged the crowd. "History says that when you win the presidency, you get complacent. You know the feeling?...Like 90% of the time you win the presidency and for whatever reason you lose the midterm. We can't let that happen. And the word is complacent."
State of the special counsel investigation
Addressing the special counsel's investigation into Russia during his speech, he quoted comments from a federal judge who suggested on Friday that the special counsel was aiming to hurt Trump by prosecuting Paul Manafort.
Trump argued that the investigation is an ongoing "witch hunt" and praised Manafort as a "good person.
"Let me tell you folks, we’re all fighting battles, but I love fighting these battles," Trump said.
Gun control
"We all know what’s going on in Chicago but Chicago has the toughest gun laws – they’re so tough, but you know what’s happening. It seems that if we’re going to outlaw guns like so many people want to do – Democrats – you better get out and vote, then we will… We are going to have to outlaw immediately all vans and all trucks, which are now the new form of death," he said.
He also referenced overseas attacks saying there are no guns there, but that there are knives and "blood all over the hospital floors."
North Korea
President Trump said the US is "doing really well with North Korea," and that he's making an attempt to turn down the rhetoric. He also said that nuclear war comes from weakness.
Immigration
"We have laws written by people that truly could not love our country," Trump told the NRA.
Trump called existing laws "the worst laws," promising "we're going to start defending our country, we're going to start defending our borders."
Parkland/school shootings
The president said he is in favor of teachers carrying concealed weapons.
"They're highly trained. And we want highly trained security guards," he said.
"By the way, these teachers, they love their students," he said. "They love their students. They understand it. They love their students. And they're not going to let anybody hurt their students. But you have to give them a chance."
"There has never been a case where more red flags have been shown," Trump said in reference to the Parkland shooter. "The administration is working to improve early warning systems."
What he failed to mention was previous support for raising the age of purchase for certain firearms or calls "comprehensive" gun law reforms/background checks.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.