Trump tweet on guns in classrooms resurfaces after listening session

by Brandon Carter - 02/21/18 6:28 PM ET

A tweet sent by President Trump in 2016 in which he denied wanting guns “brought into the school classroom” has resurfaced after a White House conversation Wednesday about arming teachers as a way of stopping school shootings.

During a listening session with students from the Florida school where 17 people were killed in a shooting last week, Trump said the good thing about the suggestion of arming teachers was that it could end an attack quickly.

He also said it was an idea the White House would be examining closely after a parent of one of the students brought it up.

“If you had a teacher who was adept at firearms, they could very well end the attack very quickly, and the good thing about a suggestion like that — and we’re going to be looking at it very strongly, and I think a lot of people are going to be opposed to it. I think a lot of people are going to like. But the good thing is you’re going to have a lot of [armed] people with that,” he said.

In the 2016 tweet, Trump had attacked then-Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton for saying that he “want[s] guns brought into the school classroom,” calling Clinton “wrong.”

Crooked Hillary said that I want guns brought into the school classroom. Wrong!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 22, 2016

Trump’s tweet was in response to Clinton slamming Trump for comments he made during a speech to the National Rifle Association, where he promised to eliminate gun-free zones if elected president.

“We’re getting rid of gun-free zones, OK?” Trump told the NRA audience.

“That idea isn’t just way out there,” Clinton said at the time, according to the Miami Herald. “It’s dangerous. … Parents, teachers and schools should have a right to keep guns out of classrooms just like Donald Trump does at many of his hotels, by the way.”

{mosads}

Trump doubled down on the idea of ending gun-free zones around schools at the White House event on Wednesday.

“A gun-free zone to a maniac, because they’re all cowards, a gun-free zone is ‘let’s go in and attack,’ ” he said.

A number of journalists and other people on Twitter quickly highlighted the 2016 tweet where Trump said Clinton had got his position wrong.

Trump in 2016 https://t.co/DQolIJnGfH

— Jon Passantino (@passantino) February 21, 2018

By the way, this tweet was false at the time, not just in retrospect https://t.co/sNI7wUDjEs

— Benjy Sarlin (@BenjySarlin) February 21, 2018

Turns out she wasn’t wrong. She hasn’t been wrong yet. https://t.co/joCKTJYujF

— Karoli (@Karoli) February 21, 2018

spotting Trump contradictions is my favorite Olympic event https://t.co/tgv1IGel1k

— Matt Oswalt (@MattOswaltVA) February 21, 2018

Ten minutes ago, Trump openly supported concealed carry for teachers and getting rid of gun-free zones. So, about this tweet… https://t.co/1NRh7ncTkh

— UltraViolet (@UltraViolet) February 21, 2018