DALLAS—The Second Amendment is vital for enabling Americans to protect themselves from the wave of criminals, drugs, and the mentally ill that are flooding across the U.S. southern border, former President Donald Trump told a raucous standing-room-only crowd at the National Rifle Association’s 153rd annual meeting and exhibitions in Dallas on May 18.
Several thousand people gathered in a meeting room of the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center to hear from the man who is seeking a second term as president. President Trump’s speech drew loud cheers on more than one occasion from the largely supportive group of Second Amendment advocates.
President Trump told the group that the Second Amendment is “under siege” from the current administration. According to the former president, Second Amendment rights are a matter of public safety.
“The survival of our Second Amendment is on the ballot,” President Trump said. “We need it for safety.”
During his speech on the afternoon of May 18, the New York City businessman, former television personality, and current front-runner for the 2024 GOP nomination for president came down hard on President Joe Biden. He highlighted the rise in illicit drugs trafficked into the United States from Mexico and crime brought about by illegal immigration.
To bolster his claim, President Trump called Debbie Douglas, a rancher from Edwards County, Texas, to the stage. She told the crowd that her family are virtual prisoners in her home because of illegal immigrants.
Ms. Douglas said she had been forced to make thousands of dollars’ worth of renovations to her home to harden it against attempted burglaries by supposed illegal immigrants. She said that her granddaughter can’t play outside unsupervised and that no adults leave the home unarmed, even in a vehicle.
“One of us is driving, and one of us is looking under cedar bushes for legs and movement,” she said.
President Trump came to Dallas from a campaign stop in Minnesota as his trial in New York appears to be coming to an end. Final summations in the five-week legal battle could be wrapped up as early as May 21.
Manhattan prosecutors have said they have called all their witnesses, and defense lawyers told the court they have only a few experts left to testify.
In New York, President Trump is accused of falsifying business records to conceal a payment to an adult film actress as part of an election interference scheme. He also faces criminal prosecutions in Georgia and Washington over alleged attempts to interfere with the 2020 election, and in Florida over his handling of classified documents. President Trump says the indictments are a political attack meant to keep him out of the White House.
President Trump has claimed that he’s being treated worse than organized crime bosses.
“Al Capone was indicted twice; I got indicted four times,” he said.
President Trump’s address to National Rifle Association (NRA) membership is becoming something of a staple for the group, as the former president has spoken at eight national events.
“President Trump is under relentless attacks because he is not afraid to fight for those who share his American values,” Andrew Arulanandam, NRA interim executive vice president and CEO, said.
“The NRA and our millions of members around the country have President Trump’s back, and we know he has ours.”
Barbara Tomasino, of Plano, Texas, bills herself as “The Trump Dress Lady.” She strolled the floor Saturday afternoon clad in an ensemble she created featuring dozens of pictures of President Trump.
When asked why she supports him for a second term, she said every aspect of life in the United States has gotten worse under President Biden’s administration. Ms. Tomasino said President Trump proved himself and his policies during his first term.
She says the economy was more robust, crime was lower, and the border was secure before President Biden took office.
Ms. Tomasino told The Epoch Times, “I want him back in office, as do many other people.”
