An epidemic of mass shootings, some at schools, didn’t stop the National Rifle Association from holding their annual convention. Nor did it stop the majority of prominent Republicans from either showing up to deliver defiant speeches or recording videos of same. Among them were the previous president and his veep, who haven’t been on great terms since the former almost got the latter murdered during an event Trump blamed on Pence. Both were present, albeit not at the same time, which got pretty awkward after Pence got booed.
holy shit Pence is getting booed loudly at the NRA event pic.twitter.com/iwhCntZ7Ac
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 14, 2023
Pence appeared earlier on Friday, and when he came out, he found himself having to withstand an avalanche of boos, presumably from MAGA die hards, whose animosity for him hasn’t dwindled after he was nearly hung on Jan. 6. Pence took it in stride, joking, “I love you, too.”
Later Trump took the stage, delivering one of his rambling, pissy soliloquies, in which he tried to blame mass shootings on — who else? — transgender people, threatened mass deportations if re-elected, and once again dropped “the n-word” (no, not that one). He took a few seconds to address his former number two, albeit cryptically.
Trump alludes to Pence getting booed at the NRA forum: “I hope you gave Pence a good warm approval.” pic.twitter.com/FnRQ3N443Z
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 14, 2023
“I hope you gave Pence a good warm approval,” he told a crowd that booed him. He then called him “a nice man” and a “good man” before delighting in saying their treatment of him was “very rough” and “a big news story.”
“I don’t know what you did, but you made news today with with the introduction you gave!” he said, almost certainly knowing what happened.
Trump also dragged his other 2024 Republican rivals, some of whom were participating in the same convention. He gloated about how Nikki Haley was dragging in the polls, predicted Greg Abbott wouldn’t run, and bragged that he was trouncing Ron “DeSanctis” — another of his lame nicknames for the Florida governor when he already has a good one. The message was clear: The Republican, who won’t do anything to curtail historic gun violence in America, are in disarray.
(Via Mediaite)