Trump expected to speak at NRA’s annual meeting

Former President Donald Trump will headline the National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA) Leadership Forum later this month.

Mr. Trump will deliver remarks at the annual gathering of Second Amendment activists on May 27. He will be joined by other Republican speakers, including Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Texas Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, Rep. Dan Crenshaw of Texas, North Carolina Lt. Governor Mark Robinson and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem.

This is the first NRA annual meeting since its cancellation last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and its 151st overall.

“It is truly an honor to have President Trump address NRA members for the sixth time at our 2022 NRA-ILA Leadership Forum in Houston,” said NRA Executive Vice President and CEO Wayne LaPierre in a statement.

He said, “President Trump delivered on his promises by appointing judges who respect and value the Constitution and the Bill of Rights and in doing so helped ensure the freedom of generations of Americans. NRA members are excited to hear him speak and thank him for his support for our right to keep and bear arms.”

The event will be held at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas, between May 27 and 29. The three-day event is expecting tens of thousands of NRA members in attendance, and will feature more than 14 acres of displays of firearms, shooting and hunting accessories.

In addition to the exhibit floor, NRA members will enjoy live music and other entertainment, attend educational seminars and listen to prominent pro-Second Amendment speakers.

Mr. Trump was endorsed by the NRA for president in 2016, and first delivered remarks to NRA members at the organization’s annual convention that year. Every year thereafter, other than 2021, he returned to the convention to be its top speaker.  

“President Trump has always stood tall for the constitutional freedoms in which his fellow NRA members believe,” said Jason Ouimet, executive director of NRA-ILA. “During COVID-19, President Trump declared firearms and ammunition retailers to be ’critical infrastructure,’ prompting states to reopen gun stores that had been forcibly closed.”

Mr. Trump’s presence at the NRA convention comes as his son, Donald Trump Jr., launched a gun rights organization late last month known as The Second Amendment Task Force.

The group plans to be directly involved with voter registrations during the midterm elections and will battle Biden administration nominees and Democrat legislative initiatives that could restrict Second Amendment rights.