Trump Angers France, The U.K., And Parkland Shooting Survivors
President Donald Trump, during his speech at the National Rifle Association (NRA) convention in Dallas on Friday, took a dig at America’s closest allies: France and the U.K. He said that it was the dearth of gun laws that failed to prevent terrorist attacks in France and the U.K. President Trump was referring to the 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris, while also emphasizing the increase in knife violence in London.
These remarks by Trump infuriated both France and the U.K., Slate reported.
“They took their time and gunned them down one by one boom, come over here, boom, come over here, boom,” Trump said.
France expressed its disapproval. On Saturday, the Élysée palace issued a statement, condemning President Trump’s speech.
“France expresses its firm disapproval of President Trump’s remarks and calls for the respect of the memory of the victims,” the palace stated.
Former French President Francois Hollande, who took to Twitter to respond, said that Trump’s shameful remarks and obscene histrionics say a lot about what he thinks of France and its values.
“The friendship between our two peoples will not be tainted by disrespect and excessiveness. All my thoughts go to the victims of November 13th,” he said.
“If you want to stop violent crime…the answer is to go after violent criminals” @tedcruz #NRAAM #2A pic.twitter.com/VCyWFTP3rB
— NRA (@NRA) May 4, 2018
Making stabbing gestures, Trump also highlighted the surge of knife attacks in Britain. He said that London is finding it difficult to deal with knife-attack victims.
“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, knives,” he said.
Trump Provokes School Students
Trump also managed to infuriate the victims of the Parkland school shooting. Cameron Kasky, a survivor and gun rights activist, called Trump a “professional liar” who will say anything to appease whatever crowd he’s at.
To a cheering pro-gun crowd at the NRA convention, Trump said that his administration is fighting hard to protect the Second Amendment.
“We will protect your Second Amendment,” he reiterated.
In an interview with Anderson Cooper on CNN, Parkland, Florida, student David Hogg, another anti-gun student activist, said that the NRA is scared. He added that because they are afraid, they decided to bring in the president and the vice president for the first time to their convention.
