In addition to Trump, other Republicans set to speak at the meeting include Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and South Dakota Gov. Kristi
In addition to Trump, other Republicans set to speak at the meeting include Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem.
Two other Texas Republicans, Sen. John Cornyn and Rep. Dan Crenshaw, had been slated to speak at the convention but have since backed out — though they didn’t cite the shooting as their reason. According to spokespeople for the lawmakers, Cornyn bowed out due to “an unexpected change in his schedule” and Crenshaw will miss the event because he will still be on a trip to Ukraine. Both spokespeople said they alerted the NRA they would not be attending prior to the shooting in Uvalde.
Trump on Friday will headline the gun lobby’s largest event of the year, which will span over three days in Houston — less than 300 miles away from the site of the mass shooting in Uvalde. Although its influence has waned in recent years amid corruption scandals that have sapped its finances, the NRA has long been the nation’s highest profile group backing gun rights and opposing legislation that would restrict access to firearms. Trump, for his part, addressed the NRA convention as president during his tenure in office and often touted the group’s endorsement of his presidential campaign.
The event comes as Tuesday’s shooting has reignited a political debate about gun reform and sparked outrage across the country over elected leaders’ failure to enact stricter gun laws. While Democrats have pleaded with their Republican colleagues to negotiate with them on passing new restrictions, many conservatives immediately pushed back on gun reform being the answer to curbing mass shootings.
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