On the very day that President Trump wrapped up his first 100 days in office he spoke to the attendees of the National Rifle Association’s annual convention in Atlanta, Georgia.
On Friday, April 28th, 2017, the President took the stage at the NRA convention, with an expected attendance of roughly 80,000 people. Trump took the opportunity to thank the association for their assistance with his election, reassure the audience of his stance on the Second Amendment, and campaign for the Republican candidate in the upcoming Georgia runoff race.
Trump Assures Crowd on Second Amendment Rights
Speaking to the crowd of thousands of cheering supporters, Trump declared “I am here to deliver you good news: the eight-year assault on your Second Amendment freedoms has come to a crashing end.”
As the first sitting president to address the NRA since the 1980s, when Ronald Reagan spoke to the group in 1983, Trump promised to “never, ever infringe” on the rights of legal gun owners.
The President referred to the previous administration’s attempts to strengthen background checks as an “assault” on the Second Amendment. “No longer will federal agencies be coming after law-abiding gun owners,” President Trump said. “No longer will the government be trying to undermine your rights and freedoms as Americans.”
Acknowledging the NRA’s Part in the Election
Trump graciously acknowledged the role the NRA played throughout the election in his speech as well. While previously a gun control advocate himself, Trump became a supporter of gun owners rights after he entered politics.
As a result of his support for Second Amendment right, the NRA spent more than $30 million to help elect President Trump.
His acknowledgement of the role the NRA played in getting him elected was met with the loudest applause of the entire speech. “You came through for me,” he said, “and I am going to come through for you.”
The president also returned to some of his campaign promises and concerns when addressing the crowd, reiterating the importance of a border wall with Mexico and his continued commitment to remove Islamic terrorist threats.
Comments on Georgia’s Runoff Election
In addition to speaking about his own election win, Trump spoke about the upcoming Georgia runoff election to replace the recently vacated seat of Tom Price, who was placed as the Health and Human Resources Secretary in the current administration.
The previous election brought Democratic candidate Jon Ossoff 48% of the vote, just shy of the 50% needed to prevent a runoff election. The election had 11 Republican candidates represented. In the runoff the Republicans will be represented by Karen Handel.
In addition to speaking about Handel at the NRA convention, Trump appeared at a fundraiser for her immediately following his speech. During his speech he encouraged NRA members to get out and vote for Handel. “She’s totally for the NRA and she’s totally for the Second Amendment. So get out and vote,” he said.
