Transcript - Speech: Donald Trump Addresses the National Rifle Association Leadership Forum - May 4, 2018 | Factba.se

Donald Trump

00:00:00 - 00:00:37 (37 sec)

Thank you. Thank you, folks. Thank you very much, a great honor to be here and I want to thank Chris, so many people have done such an incredible job. And these are real patriots, they really are and they don't get the kind of adulation.

Donald Trump

00:00:37 - 00:01:06 (29 sec)

But really, they do and we know that. I want to thank Wayne LaPierre. I want to thank my friend, our great Vice President Mike Pence for his terrific remarks. I also want to recognize our great Texas leaders. We love Texas, do we love Texas?

Donald Trump

00:01:06 - 00:01:20 (14 sec)

Governor Greg Abbott, my friend, where's Greg? Governor Greg Abbott. And he's running, and I've already done it but I will tell you, Greg, I fully endorse you, you are endorsed. He has done a great job.

Donald Trump

00:01:20 - 00:01:51 (31 sec)

I'll tell you, he would -- you had your water just pouring down on top of you, just kept coming and coming, he kept calling and calling, we need more money, money, money. [Laughter] And you know what? We gave it to you. Fully endorsed. Attorney General Ken Paxton, tremendous guy.

Donald Trump

00:01:51 - 00:02:09 (18 sec)

And by the way, Ken, you have my full endorsement, and Angela, your wife, has my full endorsement. She just had a big victory. Senator John Cornyn, been with me right from the beginning. John, thank you. Thank you, John.

Donald Trump

00:02:09 - 00:02:44 (34 sec)

Full endorsement for this man. Ted Cruz, where's Ted? Where's Ted? Thank you. Boy that was very rousing. [Laughter]

Donald Trump

00:02:44 - 00:03:06 (23 sec)

That's a good sign. Congressman Pete Sessions and Congressman Mike Burgess, great friends. We're also joined by Pete Ricketts, Dana Loesch, Charlie Kirk, Diamond and Silk.

Donald Trump

00:03:06 - 00:03:45 (39 sec)

Where are you? Where are you? They're so great. Mark Geist, Richard Hutchens, Pete Brownell and Leslie Rutledge, finally I wanted to thank all of you, the true American patriots of the NRA who defend our rights, our liberty and our great American flag, thank you, thank you very much.

Donald Trump

00:03:45 - 00:03:58 (13 sec)

The people in this hall have never taken our freedom granted. Never. And you have never stopped fighting for our beloved Constitution. Incredible people. Thank you.

Donald Trump

00:03:58 - 00:04:18 (20 sec)

You give your time, your energy, your vote, and your voice to stand strong for those sacred rights given to us by God, including the right to self defense.

Donald Trump

00:04:18 - 00:04:46 (28 sec)

And now thanks to your activism and dedication, you'll have an administration fighting to protect your 2nd Amendment, and we will protect your 2nd Amendment.

Donald Trump

00:04:46 - 00:05:21 (35 sec)

Your 2nd Amendment rights are under siege, but they will never, ever be under siege as long as I'm your president. All of us -- thank you. Thank you. All of us here today are united by the same timeless values. We believe that our liberty is a gift from our creator and that no government can ever take it away. We believe in the rule of law. And we support the men and women of law enforcement.

Donald Trump

00:05:21 - 00:05:49 (29 sec)

We have pride in our history and respect for our heritage. We put our hands on our hearts for the Pledge of Allegiance and we all proudly stand for the National Anthem. We proudly stand. [Audience Chants USA]

Donald Trump

00:05:49 - 00:05:54 (4 sec)

What people. What great people. [Audience Calls We Love You]

Donald Trump

00:05:54 - 00:06:37 (43 sec)

And this is your record crowd, you know, all time record crowd. You do know that, so, just remember. Nice to set record. We love our country, and we believe our citizens deserve a government that shows them the same love and loyalty in return.

Donald Trump

00:06:37 - 00:07:01 (24 sec)

For the last 15 months, that is exactly what we have been doing. We are all finally putting America first. And we are seeing the incredible results as a result of our massive tax cuts, and everybody is benefiting and everybody is happy. And the Democrats are very concerned. You watch how well we do in '18. You watch. You watch.

Donald Trump

00:07:01 - 00:07:23 (22 sec)

Get out and vote. Don't be complacent. Don't be complacent. Now, history says that when you win the presidency you get complacent. We all know the feeling. Do you know the feeling? Not too many. [Laughter]

Donald Trump

00:07:23 - 00:07:40 (16 sec)

Like, 90 percent 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.

Donald Trump

00:07:40 - 00:08:00 (20 sec)

You know, I kept thinking to myself, Why is that? I wonder why. Think about it. You win. You have this great win. Now, you take a breath. You relax. All of a sudden, two years is up. They're fighting like hell, and you're complacent. We cannot get complacent. We have to win the midterms.

Donald Trump

00:08:00 - 00:08:25 (25 sec)

Because since the election, we've created 3.2 million jobs, unthought-of. If we would have said that three years ago, during the campaign, people would have said, What a horrible exaggeration. That's so terrible. They wouldn't have believed it.

Donald Trump

00:08:25 - 00:08:37 (13 sec)

Three-point-two million. The unemployment rate -- you saw that just today -- just fell beneath four percent for the first time since the beginning of this century.

Donald Trump

00:08:37 - 00:09:16 (38 sec)

You know, I heard it was about 19 years. I said, Wait a minute. 'The beginning of the century' sounds better. So I say, The beginning of the century. [Laughter] More beautiful. [Laughter] African-American unemployment has reached another all-time, in history, record low -- in history.

Donald Trump

00:09:16 - 00:09:48 (33 sec)

And 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, thank you. When I saw the number, I said, That must be a mistake. How can that happen? Even the pollsters thought there must be a mistake. [Laughter]

Donald Trump

00:09:48 - 00:10:29 (40 sec)

No. We've come a long way. You remember, I'd come into big rooms, big audiences, and I'd say, What do you have to lose? Because the Democrats have always had that vote. I said, What do you have to lose? Horrible on crime, horrible on education, horrible on education. I'd say, What do you have to lose? And they voted for me, and we won. But now the numbers are much higher than they ever were with African-American. And we're happy.

Donald Trump

00:10:29 - 00:10:58 (29 sec)

And the same thing with Hispanic American unemployment, which is also at the lowest level in history -- unemployment, lowest level in history. And women's unemployment -- women, many women -- is at the lowest level in almost 20 years. Think of that.

Donald Trump

00:10:58 - 00:11:10 (13 sec)

So we have the best employment numbers we've virtually ever had. And yet all we hear about is this phony Russia witch hunt. That's all we hear about, isn't it? [Audience Boos]

Donald Trump

00:11:10 - 00:11:29 (19 sec)

So just when I'm walking on the stage, a highly respected judge in Virginia made statements. It says -- Wall Street Journal -- it says, Judge Questions Mueller's Authority to Prosecute Manafort.

Donald Trump

00:11:29 - 00:12:12 (43 sec)

Now, Paul Manafort's a nice guy, but you know, he worked for me for a very short period of time -- literally, for like, what? A couple of months? Little period of time. Then what happens? He worked for Ronald Reagan. He worked for Bob Dole. They worked, I think, as a firm, for John McCain. They worked for others. Does anybody say that? No. But he's out there fighting. On fake news CNN... [Audience Boos]

Donald Trump

00:12:12 - 00:12:37 (25 sec)

I think NBC may be more distorted and worse, but -- No, but on CNN, they have a headline: Judge in Manafort Case Says Mueller's Aim is to Hurt Trump. Do you believe that? This is what we're up -- It's called the witch hunt.

Donald Trump

00:12:37 - 00:12:51 (15 sec)

So I just said, Give me that article. I want to read it. Just happened a few minutes before I walked onstage. A federal judge Friday questioned Special Counsel Robert Mueller's authority to bring tax and bank fraud charges unrelated -- unrelated.

Donald Trump

00:12:51 - 00:13:06 (15 sec)

Nobody knows that. Everyone thinks, Oh... Unrelated to the 2016 election against former Trump campaign manager chairman Paul Manafort. He was there for a short while. But he's a good person. He is. I really believe he's a good person.

Donald Trump

00:13:06 - 00:13:35 (29 sec)

Judge T.S. Ellis... -- who is really something very special, I hear, from many standpoints. He's a respected person. ...suggested the charges before the U.S. district court for the Eastern District of Virginia were just part of the Mueller team's designs to pressure Mr. Manafort into giving up information on President Donald Trump or others in the campaign. I've been saying that for a long time. It's a witch hunt.

Donald Trump

00:13:35 - 00:14:00 (25 sec)

Then, none of that information has to do with information related to the Russian government coordination and the campaign of Donald Trump. It doesn't have anything to do. It's from years before. Then, How does this have anything to do with the campaign, the judge asks.

Donald Trump

00:14:00 - 00:14:07 (7 sec)

Let me tell you, folks, we're all fighting battles, but I love fighting these battles. It's really a disgrace. [Inaudible] Thank you. Thank you.

Donald Trump

00:14:07 - 00:14:46 (38 sec)

Can you imagine, if we ever called for a rally in Washington, D.C.? There wouldn't be enough room. There wouldn't be enough room. We have a lot of love going on. You know, people don't realize, we have great love going on in this country, great love. It's right here. We have...

Donald Trump

00:14:46 - 00:15:03 (18 sec)

And -- and by the way, you just saw the recent poll? It came out, the Rasmussen, 51 or 52. It's the highest level I've ever been at. How does that happen when you only get bad publicity? How does that happen?

Donald Trump

00:15:03 - 00:15:15 (12 sec)

That's because people realize -- That's because people realize that a lot of what you read, and a lot of what you see on television is fake. They realize it. The people are smart. The people are smart.

Donald Trump

00:15:15 - 00:15:40 (24 sec)

So you have a battle also. You have a battle to keep your rights, and we're going to keep those rights. You're going to be so happy. You have to say. You weren't sure that Trump was going to win, but you all went out there. You all went out there, and you voted. You voted.

Donald Trump

00:15:40 - 00:16:00 (21 sec)

And there were times they put up that Trump, Pence, Trump, Pence. There were times you say -- a week before they were saying -- I remember they came out with a lot of phony polls. You know that that's called? Suppression. They convince you that you're wasting your time. Why should you vote? Go to a movie instead. Come home watch the results.

Donald Trump

00:16:00 - 00:16:36 (35 sec)

Very few of the people in this room and in this country did that. And we really had a big night. Remember they said there is no way, Electoral College, there is no way to 270 for me. There is no way to 270 and they were right. But 306 was OK.

Donald Trump

00:16:36 - 00:16:54 (18 sec)

Crazy. 306. So, we had a great time and I think we're doing better now than ever before. I think we're more popular now from the standpoint, now we've produced. You know, when I was running I said we're going to give you tax cuts and by the way, we are decimating Obamacare. We got a bad vote the evening.

Donald Trump

00:16:54 - 00:17:16 (22 sec)

We got a bad vote the evening that we were going to terminate Obamacare. We got a bad vote. You know about that, right. That was not a nice thing. That was an unexpected vote. But if you look at the massive tax cut bill we also got rid of the individual mandate which is the worse part of Obamacare, right.

Donald Trump

00:17:16 - 00:17:33 (17 sec)

I don't know if the people in Texas are going to like this but we also got ANWR in Alaska. So I don't know if you're going to like a little competition, but you know what it is? It's called energy for this country. It's called energy.

Donald Trump

00:17:33 - 00:18:08 (35 sec)

That we like. So, Ted, I think you're happy with that. I think, right? So, we've delivered and when we were running I would say we're going to this, we're going to that, we're going to that. A certain person that's not a very fair person in the media said I have to say Trump has actually delivered more than he promised which is probably the first time people have ever heard that statement.

Donald Trump

00:18:08 - 00:18:28 (20 sec)

We actually delivered more than we promised and let me just tell you this, we're really doing well with North Korea. We're really doing well.

Donald Trump

00:18:28 - 00:18:44 (16 sec)

Right. We're doing real well. Remember they said it's going to be terrible. They were actually saying three months ago when the rhetoric was rather sharp, do we agree? I won't use the rhetoric now. Now, I'm trying to calm it down a little bit. So, I'm not going to use the rhetoric. But let's put it this way -- he goes use it.

Donald Trump

00:18:44 - 00:19:16 (32 sec)

I know you come from Texas whoever the hell you are. Look for years -- for years they've had this problem, and everybody has said, don't talk, don't talk. Don't -- please don't talk. The last administration had a policy of silence. Don't talk. You may make them and him angry. [Laughter]

Donald Trump

00:19:16 - 00:19:55 (39 sec)

Don't talk. If a horrible statement is made about the United States, don't say anything; we have no comment. Please, please, oh, my God. Same thing with Iran, remember? We're signing that horrible deal and they're marching in the streets, saying Death to America. I said, Who signs a deal when they're marching, saying 'Death to America'? Who marches?

Donald Trump

00:19:55 - 00:20:28 (33 sec)

They're saying Death to America, and we have the former administration, as -- as represented by John Kerry -- not the best negotiator we've ever seen -- he never walked away from the table, except to be in that bicycle race, where he fell and broke his leg. That's it. [Laughter] That was the only time.

Donald Trump

00:20:28 - 00:20:47 (19 sec)

I said, Don't tell them you broke your leg. Just stay inside, say you don't want to negotiate. You'll make a much better deal. [Laughter] But he broke his leg. And I learned from that. At 73 years old, you never go into a bicycle race, OK? [Laughter]

Donald Trump

00:20:47 - 00:21:00 (13 sec)

Just -- you just don't do that. I'm not 73; he was, OK? Just... [Laughter] ... but I'll be there.

Donald Trump

00:21:00 - 00:21:29 (29 sec)

But we have great things going on. And, you know, with respect to North Korea, remember how strong it was? And they were saying, This is going to be nuclear war? We're going to have -- no. You know what gets you nuclear war? Weakness gets you nuclear war. Being weak gets you nuclear war.

Donald Trump

00:21:29 - 00:21:48 (19 sec)

That's what gets you nuclear war. So let's talk about guns, shall we? Paris, France has the toughest gun laws in the world. The president just left Washington -- Emmanuel, great guy -- nobody has guns in Paris, nobody.

Donald Trump

00:21:48 - 00:22:12 (24 sec)

And we all remember more than 130 people, plus tremendous numbers of people that were horribly, horribly wounded -- you notice nobody ever talks about that? They talk about the people that died, but they never mentioned that 250 people had horrible, horrible wounds. I mean, they never mention that.

Donald Trump

00:22:12 - 00:22:46 (34 sec)

But they died in a restaurant and various other close-proximity places. They were brutally killed by a small group of terrorists that had guns. They took their time and gunned them down one by one -- boom, come over here, boom, come over here, boom. If you were in those rooms, one of those people -- and the survivors said it just lasted forever.

Donald Trump

00:22:46 - 00:23:10 (24 sec)

But, if one employee or just one patron had a gun, or if one person in this room had been there with a gun, aimed at the opposite direction, the terrorists would have fled or been shot. And it would have been a whole different story. I mean, right?

Donald Trump

00:23:10 - 00:23:45 (36 sec)

Right? We all know what's going on in Chicago. But Chicago has the toughest gun laws in our country. 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... [Laughter]

Donald Trump

00:23:45 - 00:24:10 (24 sec)

... you better get out and vote. Then we will get-and you know what I'm going to say. We are going to have to outlaw, immediately, all vans and all trucks, which are now the new form of death for the maniac terrorists. Right?

Donald Trump

00:24:10 - 00:24:43 (33 sec)

They take a truck, and they run over 8 people and wound 16, like what happened in New York and what just happened. It's happening all over. So let's ban, immediately, all trucks, all vans, maybe all cars. How about cars? Let's ban them. Let's not sell any more cars. [Audience Member calls out 'I Love You']

Donald Trump

00:24:43 - 00:25:04 (21 sec)

I love you, too. Thank you. I recently read a story that, in London, which has unbelievably tough gun laws, a once very prestigious hospital-right in the middle-is like a war zone for horrible stabbing wounds. Yes, that's right.

Donald Trump

00:25:04 - 00:25:28 (24 sec)

They don't have guns. They have knives. And, instead, there's blood all over the floors of this hospital. They say it's as bad as a military war-zone hospital. Knives, knives, knives-London hasn't been used to that. They're getting used to it. It's pretty tough.

Donald Trump

00:25:28 - 00:26:00 (32 sec)

We're here today because we recognize a simple fact: The one thing that has always stood between the American people and the elimination of our Second Amendment rights has been conservatives in Congress willing to fight for those rights. And we're fighting. We're fighting.

Donald Trump

00:26:00 - 00:26:12 (12 sec)

We're fighting to defend our freedom. We need the people in Washington to support our freedom, to support our candidates, to support Ted, to support the people that have to raise their hand.

Donald Trump

00:26:12 - 00:26:29 (17 sec)

You know, they say we have a majority. We have what? A majority of one person-that's not really a majority. We need Republicans to do it right. To get the kind of things we want, we've got to get Republicans elected. We've got to do great in '18.

Donald Trump

00:26:29 - 00:27:06 (37 sec)

Those midterms-we have to do them. We need judges who will enforce our laws, protect our sovereignty and uphold our American way of life. The Constitution can't be changed by judges, bureaucrats or the United Nations. That is why we are appointing federal judges who will interpret the law as written.

Donald Trump

00:27:06 - 00:27:25 (19 sec)

In my first year, I nominated, and the Senate confirmed, more circuit judges than any new administration, by far, in history. And we will have the all-time record very soon.

Donald Trump

00:27:25 - 00:27:48 (22 sec)

President Obama was very nice to us, because he left us a lot of judges. And I said, That's a lot of judges-like, almost 140. That's a lot of judges. I was very surprised. I was very happy. And we put an incredible new justice on the Supreme Court, Judge Neil Gorsuch.

Donald Trump

00:27:48 - 00:28:11 (23 sec)

Yet virtually every single Democrat in the Senate opposed Neil Gorsuch, just like they have consistently opposed judges who will protect your basic freedoms. And, by the way, the way they're slow-walking people that are supposed to be working for us in government... (BOOING)

Donald Trump

00:28:11 - 00:28:36 (25 sec)

... if you look at what they're doing, in the history of this country there has never been anything like what the Democrats are doing, on great people who gave up their jobs and their lives to take a job as an ambassador, or people working for our government. And they can't get approved because every single one of them is being slow-walked by the Democrats, and it's never happened before.

Donald Trump

00:28:36 - 00:28:45 (9 sec)

And you know what? I hope we have long memories, but I hope we don't have to worry about it because we're going to be there a long time. So we won't have to worry about that. But what they're doing is disgraceful.

Donald Trump

00:28:45 - 00:29:00 (15 sec)

What they are doing, Schumer and the group, what they are doing is disgraceful. What they're doing to the wall and immigration is disgraceful. And you just take a look at the border, OK? You take a look. Take a look at what's happening.

Donald Trump

00:29:00 - 00:29:12 (12 sec)

My administration and conservatives in Congress were elected to uphold your rights. To rebuild our military, which we are doing a great job of rebuilding.

Donald Trump

00:29:12 - 00:29:39 (27 sec)

To restore our prosperity, to secure our communities and defend our borders. We have the worst immigration laws anywhere in the world. But I'll tell you what. It's not easy for people to come in. I will tell you, it's not-we have the worst laws.

Donald Trump

00:29:39 - 00:29:57 (18 sec)

After years of defending the borders of other countries-we go into wars with other countries. We shouldn't be there. We go into wars to defend their borders, we don't defend our own borders. And we're going to start defending our country. We're going to start defending our borders.

Donald Trump

00:29:57 - 00:30:47 (50 sec)

You've all seen, on television, all over the papers. The illegal migrants, pouring up through Mexico, flooding the border. Many from Central America: Honduras, all over the place. Coming up by the thousands. We're stopping them at different fronts. But we don't have laws. We have laws that were written by people that truly could not love our country.

Donald Trump

00:30:47 - 00:31:13 (26 sec)

Illegal immigration must end. Illegal immigration must end. We are going to have strong borders. I will tell you, we have maxed out every law. We are going to have truly strong-and we're going to take people into our country, but they're going to come in based on merit, not based on picking somebody out of a bin.

Donald Trump

00:31:13 - 00:31:26 (13 sec)

We are not going to let our country be overwhelmed, and we're going to demand Congress secure the border in the upcoming C.R. It's going to be very soon, going to be very soon.

Donald Trump

00:31:26 - 00:31:46 (20 sec)

In recent months, Democratic lawmakers have voted against legislation to close deadly immigration loopholes, like catch-and-release. How about that one? We caught him. Oh. Release him. Bye-bye. [Laughter] Welcome to America. Welcome to America. That's what we have.

Donald Trump

00:31:46 - 00:32:09 (23 sec)

We're going to keep the violent criminals out. Sentae Democrats like Jon Tester-you saw what happened there. What he did to one of the finest people in our country. What he did to the admiral-what he did is a disgrace. Jon Tester.

Donald Trump

00:32:09 - 00:32:30 (21 sec)

Bill Nelson and Bob Casey voted against Kate's Law, legislation named for Kate Steinle, who was gunned down by a five-time deported illegal immigrant, and you saw what happened with that court case. Can you believe the result of that court case? Can you believe that?

Donald Trump

00:32:30 - 00:32:47 (17 sec)

The same senators, along with nearly every other Democrat, also voted to protect something that's actually becoming very unpopular, sanctuary cities. Can you believe, finally, people are starting to get it. (BOOING)

Donald Trump

00:32:47 - 00:33:13 (26 sec)

Democrats and liberals in Congress want to disarm law-abiding Americans at the same time they're releasing dangerous criminal aliens and savage gang members onto our streets. These countries send up their worst. Remember when my opening speech-I got criticized for it, remember? Well, guess what. They're not sending their finest, that I can tell you.

Donald Trump

00:33:13 - 00:33:31 (18 sec)

We're getting some real beauties in here. But we're taking MS-13, horrible killer gang members, we're getting them out, because our guys are much tougher than theirs. There is not even a little bit of a contest.

Donald Trump

00:33:31 - 00:33:56 (24 sec)

And that's the only language they understand. That's the only language they understand. These are savage killers. My administration believes our cities should be safe havens for Americans, not sanctuaries for criminals.

Donald Trump

00:33:56 - 00:34:14 (18 sec)

And we believe that violent gang members must be thrown out of our country immediately, not let to stay, to fester, and to get larger. We get 'em out, and we are kicking 'em out by thousands.

Donald Trump

00:34:14 - 00:34:37 (24 sec)

If we had the right laws-which we can have very quickly with cooperation-we wouldn't even have a problem. It would be so much better, so much easier. We believe that politicians who put criminal aliens before American citizens should be voted out of office immediately.

Donald Trump

00:34:37 - 00:34:57 (20 sec)

As we secure our borders, we're also supporting the heroes who fight crime, serve our citizens, and secure our streets, our brave men and brave women in blue. We love them.

Donald Trump

00:34:57 - 00:35:19 (21 sec)

In my administration, we have a simple policy. We will protect those who protect us. You saw what I did with the military equipment, the excess equipment that was sitting all over the country in warehouses, never to be used again.

Donald Trump

00:35:19 - 00:35:42 (23 sec)

And other administrations, they just didn't want to give it to the police. They said it's too much protection, it looks too strong, it looks like military. Guess what? It's now being distributed all over to our police forces. And it's better than they could ever buy. You can't buy stuff like that.

Donald Trump

00:35:42 - 00:36:07 (25 sec)

Today, our love and prayers go out to the family of slain Dallas police officer Rogelio Santander, who last week was murdered in the line of duty very, very close to this arena. We ask God to help the others who were wounded, and they will recover. They will be better. They will be back. Send our love. So important. Thank you.

Donald Trump

00:36:07 - 00:36:39 (33 sec)

And we mourn together with the entire Dallas Police Department. It's a great police department, a police force that has lost too many heroes, but has never lost its will to protect, and to serve you. We're also taking very strong action to secure and protect our most valuable resource: our children.

Donald Trump

00:36:39 - 00:37:06 (27 sec)

All of us here today are deeply committed to school safety. Nothing is more important than protecting innocent lives. And I will tell you, Wayne and Chris, and all of the people at the NRA, we speak about it all the time. These are great people. These are great Americans. These people have great heart. They know what they're doing.

Donald Trump

00:37:06 - 00:37:27 (21 sec)

Our entire nation was filled with shock and grief by the monstrous attack on a high school in Parkland, Florida. We mourn for the victims and their families. Gotten to know members of those families. These are incredible people, and our hearts break for every American who has suffered the horrors of these school shootings.

Donald Trump

00:37:27 - 00:37:55 (29 sec)

In the aftermath of the terrible attack, I met with the survivors, the parents of school shooting victims at the White House. I was inspired, like all of you were, by their incredible courage. We agreed that it's not enough to simply take actions that make us feel like we're making a difference. We must ensure that we actually make a difference, and my administration has pursued an aggressive strategy on community safety.

Donald Trump

00:37:55 - 00:38:17 (22 sec)

We're working to improve early warning systems so that when the police are called, when the community sees the red flags-which they saw in Parkland all over the place. There has never been a case where more red flags have been shown-swift action is taken by the authorities.

Donald Trump

00:38:17 - 00:38:29 (12 sec)

Law-abiding gun owners want to keep firearms out of the hands of those who pose a danger to themselves and to others. We all want that. We all want that.

Donald Trump

00:38:29 - 00:39:02 (33 sec)

I recently signed legislation that includes more than $2 billion to improve school safety, including the funding for training, and metal detectors, and security, and mental health. Mental health is a big one. They don't like to talk about mental health. Mental health-that was the number one example in Parkland. That legislation also made vital improvements to our background check system, which everybody wants.

Donald Trump

00:39:02 - 00:39:23 (20 sec)

Finally, all of us agree that we must harden certain schools. At the same time, the police have to be able to get into those schools if there's a problem. We want armed guards. We want to be able to get in.

Donald Trump

00:39:23 - 00:39:51 (28 sec)

I saw some of the craziest plans that I've ever seen. You can spend a fortune on each school. You will spend so much-nobody knows more about construction than I do. You will spend so much, you're going to make it so hard that you can't run a D8 -- you know what that is, right? -- through the doors. It means a tractor. There's only one problem: If one of these maniacs get in, and it's so hard, you can't get in.

Donald Trump

00:39:51 - 00:40:37 (47 sec)

So you have to be careful. We strongly believe in allowing highly trained teachers to carry concealed weapons if they're highly trained. And we want highly trained security guards. Ninety-eight percent of mass public shootings have occurred in places where guns are banned, just so you understand. Tragically, as we've seen, there's no sign more inviting to a mass killer than a sign that declares, This school is a gun-free zone. Come in and take us.

Donald Trump

00:40:37 - 00:41:05 (27 sec)

Ninety-eight percent. You know, they're cowards. You saw that in the recent case, where he did all of his damage and then he sort of slinked out of the school. And the policeman outside caught him in a different community. That policeman did a good job. That policeman did a good job. Caught him in a different community.

Donald Trump

00:41:05 - 00:41:14 (9 sec)

But they are cowards. When they know there's guns inside, they're not going in. We just don't understand that. We can't get that word out.

Donald Trump

00:41:14 - 00:41:54 (40 sec)

But highly trained people. At the same time, there is no stronger deterrent for a sick individual than the knowledge that their attack will end their life and will end in total failure. When they know that, they're not going in. You're not going to have school attacks. We support the Second Amendment. Not only because we believe in freedom, but also because we trust in everyday, talented, wonderful people. They love our students.

Donald Trump

00:41:54 - 00:42:24 (30 sec)

And by the way, these teachers, they love their students. They love their students. They understand and they love their students, and they're not going to let anybody hurt their students. But you have to give them a chance. In America, we trust the people to be wise and to be good. We trust them to take responsibility for themselves, their families and their communities.

Donald Trump

00:42:24 - 00:42:43 (19 sec)

And that is why, in America, we have always trusted the people to keep and bear arms. It is fitting that we gather today in the great state of Texas, a place that cherishes their right like no other.

Donald Trump

00:42:43 - 00:43:09 (26 sec)

You know, before I left today, a couple of people came up to me. Good political people. They said, You know, going to the NRA convention and speaking today, that'll be very controversial. It might not be popular. You know what I said? Bye-bye, got to get on the plane. [Laughter] Because we have to do the right thing. We have to do the right thing.

Donald Trump

00:43:09 - 00:43:55 (46 sec)

This proud state would not exist if not for a handful of determined and defiant Texans who refused to surrender their rights nearly two centuries ago. Right? You know who I'm talking about. You know who I'm talking about.

Donald Trump

00:43:55 - 00:44:26 (31 sec)

In 1835, soldiers from General Santa Ana's army marched into the little Texas town of Gonzales, and ordered those settlers to surrender their small canon they relied on to protect their lives, and protect their homes. The Texans refused. [Inaudible] That's right. They were not about to give up their only means of self defense.

Donald Trump

00:44:26 - 00:44:47 (21 sec)

In response, Santa Ana's army returned with a large group of additional people. They had men all over the place. The army was big. This time, they were met by dozens of Texans, settlers, soldiers and ordinary citizens who had rushed to Gonzales to defend their rights and their freedom.

Donald Trump

00:44:47 - 00:45:00 (12 sec)

As Santa Ana's men watched from a distance, those brave Texans raised a flag for all to see, and you know what it said. On the banner, they painted a canon, along with four words that echoed through the ages, and you know what it is. It said, Come and take it. Come and take it. [Audience Chants USA]

Donald Trump

00:45:00 - 00:45:07 (7 sec)

Like those early Texans, Americans will never surrender, ever, ever, ever. We will never, never surrender. We will never give up our freedom. Americans are born free. We will live free, and we will die free.

Donald Trump

00:45:07 - 00:46:41 (94 sec)

So again, it is a great honor to be with you, very special people. We truly appreciate your support. I'm going the right thing. I'm doing it for you, but we're doing the right thing. We're doing the right thing together.

Donald Trump

00:46:41 - 00:47:01 (20 sec)

I want to thank again all of our friends and patriots from the NRA. We will never fail, and we will always protect your Second Amendment. Thank you. God bless you, and God bless America. Thank you all. Thank you.