Former President Donald Trump used his speech at the National Rifle Association’s annual convention on Friday to mock former Vice President Mike Pence and Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis while pleading for the nation to fire him. in the White House in next year’s presidential election. .
Trump has repeatedly referred to DeSantis as “DeSanctus” while rattling off poll numbers clearly showing him as the frontrunner in the race for the Republican nomination.
He also joked about Pence’s not-so-warm welcome during his speech at the convention earlier in the day when he was greeted by loud boos from across the room filled with thousands of attendees.
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Former President Donald Trump addresses guests at the 2023 NRA-ILA Leadership Forum on April 14, 2023 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
“I hope you gave Pence a nice warm endorsement,” Trump said, as crowd members booed again at the mention of Pence’s name.
“This is great news. You made the news today. I don’t know what you did, but you made the news today with the introduction you did,” he added.
Both Pence and DeSantis are reportedly considering launching their own bids for the White House, but neither has officially said whether he intends to run. However, they each made trips to early contest states in what often precedes an announcement.
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Former Vice President Mike Pence addresses guests at the 2023 NRA-ILA Leadership Forum on April 13, 2023 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
In addition to the subtle jabs, Trump used his speech to cast himself as the “most pro-gun, pro-Second Amendment president” to ever serve in the White House, and vowed to be a ” loyal friend and a fearless champion as the 47th President of the United States.
He said that if elected, he would ask Congress to send him a bill on covert national reciprocity and ensure that Americans’ Second Amendment rights are enforced across state lines.
Trump has lambasted President Biden for his role in weaponizing government against law-abiding citizens, as well as his failure to crack down on those who commit violent crimes across the country.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis addresses voters in Iowa on March 10, 2023 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
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He also made numerous references to the legal issues he is facing in New York state, but avoided going into the specifics of the details of the case which saw him charged with 34 counts of criminal falsification of business documents.