Trump’s Address to Congress Wins Thumbs Up

Donald Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress didn’t include any mention of Second Amendment issues, but as frustrating as that might have been for 2A advocates, Americans overall appear to be pretty pleased with the president’s speech on Tuesday night. Data provided by our friends at Eyes Over shows that Trump’s messaging on the economy and trade was well-received by those watching at home, along with his update on the slowdown in illegal immigration on our southern border.

Eyes Over found that Trump’s “direct and unfiltered leadership style was a focal point of last night’s address, drawing praise from supporters who see his approach as a fulfillment of campaign promises and a much-needed dose of straightforward, decisive governance,” while many viewers “lauded the efforts to prioritize the deportation of criminals and celebrated the Laken Riley Act, viewing these policies as a decisive “America first” strategy that enhances national safety.”

Eyes Over also found Trump’s “defense of tariffs in last night’s speech was met with applause from parts of the electorate who see these measures as crucial for revitalizing American manufacturing and restoring the nation’s competitive edge on the global stage,” though many Americans are are also concerned about the immediate effects of a trade war with Canada, Mexico, and other nations. 

While the lack of any talk on 2A issues was disappointing, the gun control group Giffords still managed to issue a press release blasting Trump for not embracing Joe Biden’s anti-gun agenda. 

“President Trump failed to mention a single action he’ll take to stop the number one killer of children and teens in this country— gun violence. He is perfectly content to let daily crime continue as long as gun industry CEOs keep getting richer,” said GIFFORDS Executive Director Emma Brown. “President Trump loves to talk about law and order, but has done nothing to support public safety and law enforcement. He talked tonight about supporting police officers—mere weeks after pardoning the January 6th rioters responsible for the deaths of Capitol Police. If the president was serious, he would put forth commonsense gun safety measures that would keep guns out of the wrong hands, and he would keep federal law enforcement strong. 

“From planning to weaken our nation’s gun laws, to appointing extreme leaders like Kash Patel, our president is telling us how little he values American lives. He’s been in office for less than two months, and he’s already making America more dangerous,” Brown concluded.

Since President Trump has taken office, he has gutted the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention; appointed Kash Patel, who is aligned with fringe gun rights groups, to head both the FBI and the ATF; and signed an executive order poised to undo years of gun safety progress. Gun homicides increased by a staggering 34% during his first term in office.

Yeah, it is a shame that Trump didn’t mention nuking the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention or naming Kash Patel as the interim director of the ATF. For that matter, I would have loved to have heard Trump remind his audience on Capitol Hill and at home about his executive action directing Attorney General Pam Bondi to examine all of the ATF rules put in place under the previous administration, as well as taking a second look at the DOJ’s defense of existing federal gun laws and regulations. 

As for Brown’s contention that Donald Trump oversaw a 34% increase in gun homicides, keep in mind that for the vast majority of Trump’s first term violent crime and homicides plunged. It wasn’t until the COVID pandemic and the shutdowns of courts, the release of inmates, and the blue-state embrace of Defund the Police in the wake of George Floyd’s death that both homicides and violent crime surged across the country. 

Only a partisan hack would try to pin that phenomenon at the feet of Donald Trump, which helps to explain why this has become a standard talking point for anti-2A groups like Giffords and Everytown, who can’t even acknowledge Trump’s plan to increase federal prosecutions of violent felons and repeat offenders caught illegally possessing guns in Washington, D.C. 

To them, Trump can do no right, just as Joe Biden could do no wrong. But according to the data released by Eyes Over the gun control groups and their Democratic allies are in the minority when it comes to their reaction to Trump’s Tuesday night address, and most Americans feel pretty good about the president’s message and mission.