On Friday, May 4, 2018, the NRA held a members' meeting in Dallas. President Trump and Vice President Pence spoke to the crowd of gun owners and lobbyists. The NRA's Leadership Forum, as Friday's event was officially known, began with the worst imaginable cover of "Baby Got Back" and a song about Billy Graham's Bible and Willie Nelson's guitar by a country artist Joe Nichols. Then there was a series of media-baiting videos, including NRA talking head Dana Loesch's infamous "violence of lies" piece condemning liberal media, the Pledge of Allegiance and the national anthem.
Finally, almost two hours after the event's promised start time, Vice President Mike Pence appeared before about 7,000 National Rifle Association supporters.
The NRA, Pence told the crowd, is lucky that Trump is in the White House.
"He told you you'd have a friend in the White House," Pence said. "I'm here as his vice president to say that you have two friends in the White House. [While we're in office,] the right of the people to keep and bear arms will not be infringed."
Photos by Brian Maschino
