The National Rifle Association's annual meeting in Texas will go on as planned on Friday despite the killings at an elementary school in the state.
The U.S. needs real solutions and real leadership in this moment, not politicians and partisanship, according to Trump.
In the meantime, we all continue to pray for the victims, their families, and for our entire nation.
The Leadership Forum is a four-and-a-half-hour event that will feature Trump, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Sen. Ted Cruz and other GOP politicians. The influential group, which has fought many federal efforts to tighten gun-safety laws, has faced fresh criticism in the last two weeks after mass shootings at a grocery store in a predominantly Black Buffalo, N.Y. neighborhood and a school in Texas.
The governor of South Dakota and the lieutenant governor of North Carolina will be at the event. Friday's forum was billed as a celebration of Second Amendment rights.
Two other Texas Republicans, Sen. John Cornyn and Rep. Dan Crenshaw, told CNBC on Wednesday that they won't attend the event. They backed out before the shooting.
Prior to the tragedy in Uvalde, we had already told the NRA that he would not be able to speak, according to an email from Cornyn spokeswoman Natalie Yezbick. Cornyn has to be in D.C. on Friday for personal reasons.
The congressman is not able to make it because he is in Ukraine, according to his chief of staff.
Discigil told CNBC that the event organizers wouldn't be back in the country in time to attend the event.
The shooting and its proximity to the forum were not responded to by the NRA-ILA.
The people for Abbott and Cruz didn't comment on the event. CNBC was referred to by a spokeswoman for Trump.
Cruz criticized Democrats and media figures for their immediate solution, which is to restrict the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens.
That doesn't work. Cruz said that it was not effective.
A spokesman for the governor told CNBC on Wednesday that Noem would speak at the forum. Noem was quoted in a promotional video by the NRA as saying "Joe Biden, I'll give you my gun when you pry it from my cold dead hands."
Tuesday's massacre was the worst school shooting in Texas history. The suspected shooter was an 18-year-old who may have been armed with a handgun and a rifle. He died Tuesday.
After the most recent mass shooting, some Democrats criticized the National Rifle Association, who have been at odds with Republicans and firearms advocates.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on the Senate floor that the other side was ready to bow in obeisance to the NRA.
In a somber address Tuesday evening, President Joe Biden called on Congress to tighten gun regulations.
When in God's name are we going to stand up to the gun lobby? Biden asked.
The Sandy Hook school shooting left 20 children and six adults dead. A major push to reform U.S. gun laws failed in the Senate after the mass shooting.
Trump has spoken at the annual event six times. Wayne LaPierre, the CEO of the National Rifle Association, said in a statement that Trump delivered on his promises by appointing judges who respect and value the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
