Standing at the podium before a packed arena, former President Donald Trump (R) was met with repeated, loud cheers as he spoke at the NRA Great American Outdoor Show in Harrisburg, Pa., earlier this year. The show, which featured more than 1,000 exhibitors covering over 650,000 square feet of exhibit space, had a record-setting number of showgoers in attendance, totaling over 200,000 people. The former president was the keynote speaker at the NRA Presidential Forum.
Trump spoke at length about how gun owners were protected throughout his presidency and he outlined what he’ll do to make sure this continues should he be elected once more. He contrasted this with what current President Joe Biden (D) has done and would continue to do to our freedom if he is able to retain the presidency. Trump detailed the work he did with judicial nominations, the actions he took during the COVID-19 pandemic and how he’d undo Biden’s disastrous, anti-Second Amendment actions.
Here are some of the impactful lines from Trump's speech.
Trump Said This About His Previous Term
“For four incredible years, it was my honor to be the best friend gun owners have ever had in the White House by far.”
“Every pledge I made to you as a candidate I fulfilled as your president, every single pledge. Just as I promised back in 2016, I appointed nearly 300 pro-Constitution judges to interpret the law as written. I faced down vile attacks from the radical Left to confirm three great Supreme Court justices.”
“I stood up for our hunters, fishers and sportsmen like no one has ever done before, opening up millions and millions of acres of federal land and rolling back Obama’s assault on hunting, fishing, trapping and ammunition. Obama was brutal.”
“When the radical Left Democrats tried to use COVID to shutdown gun sales during the pandemic, I proudly designated gun-and-ammunition dealers as critical infrastructure.”
“I said gun dealers are critical infrastructure. … We kept those places open.”
“My administration also petitioned the Supreme Court to overturn New York City’s unconstitutional ban on transporting handguns outside of the home. … In a landmark case … the Court affirmed that the right to self-defense does not end when you step outside the front door of your house.”
Trump Said This About Biden’s Actions
“How about Afghanistan? … We left behind $85 billion worth of equipment. Do you know Afghanistan now is one of the largest sellers of military equipment in the world? They’re selling our beautiful, brand-new equipment.”
“Under crooked Joe Biden, your Second Amendment is again under siege. Biden has implemented a vicious zero-tolerance policy … that revokes the licenses of independent firearms dealers if they make a single minor error, a little tiny error, [and] they’re out of business.”
“Biden is trying to ban all private gun transfers in the United States with the stroke of a pen.”
Trump Said This About What Biden Would Do with a Second Term
“Four more years of Joe Biden means four more years of anti-gun communists running the ATF.”
“It means hundreds of more radical Left judges waging a crusade against law-abiding gun owners.”
“If Joe Biden is re-elected, your gun rights will be gone; they’ll be totally gone. The sad part about that is the bad guys aren’t giving up their guns. The bad guys aren’t, but the good people aren’t giving up their guns either because there’s never going to be anybody that’s asking for your guns.”
Trump Promised This if He is Reelected
“Now I stand before you with a very simple promise. Your Second Amendment will always be safe with me as your president. When I’m back in the Oval Office, no one will lay a finger on your firearms. It’s not going to happen.”
“When I’m re-elected, every single Biden attack on gun owners and manufacturers will be terminated my very first week back in office, perhaps my first day.”
“On day one, we will sack the radical gun grabber, [ATF Director] Steve Dettelbach. And we’re going to replace him with an ATF director who respects the sacred right to keep and bear arms.”
“In conclusion, this is the most-important election in the history of our country. We will protect our Second Amendment. We will evict crooked Joe Biden from the White House on Nov. 5, 2024.”
