Ivanka Trump: ‘I don’t know’ if arming teachers would make schools safer

Ivanka Trump in an interview on Sunday said she was unsure if the president’s call to arm teachers in schools would be effective, but said it was an option that “needs to be discussed.”

“To be honest, I don’t know,” President Trump’s daughter and senior adviser told NBC News when asked whether the proposal would make children safer. 

The first daughter, who’s currently in South Korea, where she attended the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics, said it was nonetheless an option worth considering.

“Obviously, there would have to be an incredibly high standard for who would be able to bear arms in our school,” she told the broadcaster. “But I think there is no one solution for creating safety.”

{mosads}

Her remarks come after the president repeatedly touted the idea of arming certain teachers in preparation for a possible mass shooting like the one that occurred earlier this month in Parkland, Fla. Seventeen people were killed in the massacre, which has led to renewed calls for gun restrictions.

“If you had a teacher who was adept at firearms, that could very well end the attack very quickly,” President Trump said during a meeting with survivors of the shooting at the White House. “We’re going to be looking at that 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 it.”

The president on Saturday doubled down on his call, despite heavy criticism from gun control advocates.

“If they go into a school, a gun-free zone is like target practice for these guys,” he said on Fox News’s “Justice with Judge Jeanine.”

Ivanka Trump on Sunday said that despite her ambivalence, arming “capable,” “qualified” teachers was “not a bad idea, but it’s an idea that needs to be discussed.”

She also told NBC News that she used her visit to reaffirm Washington’s commitment to supporting Seoul in the face of tensions with neighboring Pyongyang, whose weapons program has sparked concerns of a possible conflict.

Trump also addressed the comparisons made between her and Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, saying she didn’t think it was a fair comparison.

“I would far prefer to be compared to my sisters in South Korea, who are thriving in this incredible democracy,” Trump told NBC News.