Donald Trump is set to address thousands of gun owners on Saturday, seeking to further boost their enthusiasm for his run for the White House, a day after launching into an obscenity-laden speech railing against his legal troubles and Democratic rival Joe Biden.
Taking a weekend off from his criminal trial in New York, Trump was scheduled to address the politically powerful National Rifle Association (NRA) in Dallas, Texas, later Saturday.
The 150-year-old organization, whose longtime CEO resigned in January amid a corruption case, is closely aligned with the Republican Party in opposing restrictions on firearms, despite routine mass killings in the United States and tolls relatively high levels of armed violence compared to peer countries. .
Efforts for broad gun law reforms have been stymied for decades, with executive actions and state initiatives attacked in court by critics for violating the constitutional right to own a firearm, enshrined in the Second Amendment.
Trump predicted the likely fearful tone of his speech on Friday, saying at a fundraising dinner in Minnesota that gun owners should vote Republican because “Democrats want to take away your guns – and they will take away your guns.” .
“That’s why I’m going to talk to the NRA tomorrow to say, ‘You have to get out and vote.’”
Biden has repeatedly called for reinstating the long-standing assault weapons ban, among other restrictions.
Last month, the White House moved to crack down on firearms sales at gun shows and online that evade U.S. federal background checks, with several Republican-led states quickly suing to block the measure.
Vice President Kamala Harris issued a statement through her and Biden’s campaign ahead of Trump’s speech on Saturday, saying “the choice in this election is clear.”
“President Biden and I will continue to stand up to the gun lobby to keep Americans safe, while Donald Trump will continue to sacrifice the safety of our children and communities to keep these special interests satisfied.”
There were more than 40,000 gun-related deaths in the United States last year, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
– More ‘cheating’ allegations –
At the fundraiser in Minnesota, Trump falsely claimed that Biden cheated to win the state in 2020 – further doubling down on a message that cast doubt on the legitimacy of US democracy – with several instances of profanity.
Biden has consistently beaten the Democratic Party in Minnesota by more than 200,000 votes.
In addition to his trial in New York, Trump faces pending criminal charges in Washington, Georgia and Florida – charges that the former president criticized as “bullshit”, while reiterating his claim that they were politically motivated.
The accusations are a way of “cheating the election, no different than what they did four years ago,” Trump said.
He took several personal jabs at Biden in his speech, calling him “unbelievably dishonest” and a “horrible human being” while alleging that the 81-year-old Democrat had taken drugs before his State of the Union address in March. .
“He’s such a liar, this guy. Terrible,” Trump said.
Meanwhile, Biden arrived Saturday in the swing state of Georgia, which he narrowly won in 2020, to campaign for support from African Americans — a crucial element in his coalition.
On Sunday, he was scheduled to address students at Morehouse College, a renowned historically black institution.
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