HUMBOLDT, Iowa — Elizabeth Warren challenged President Trump to put “some muscle” into his gun background check rhetoric, saying he didn’t deserve credit for simply talking about stricter measures.
“President Trump wants to have everything both ways. He wants to stir up as much hate and division as he can and then say, ‘Oh, not me.’ He wants to say, ‘Oh yes, I could support changes on gun safety,’ and then say, ‘But let’s all be sure to bow to the NRA.’ That just doesn’t work,” the senator for Massachusetts and 2020 Democratic White House hopeful told reporters Friday afternoon. “Leadership is about picking a direction and really putting some muscle behind it, and that’s exactly what I will do.”
The push for background check reform comes after two shootings last weekend, including one at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas. Trump initially expressed support for a gun control-immigration compromise bill, but on Friday morning tweeted the National Rifle Association’s “strong views” should be factored into any legislative response. During a later impromptu press conference on the White House’s South Lawn, the president told reporters he was confident the gun manufacturing lobby would “get on board.”
Warren, who is set to release her gun control plan this weekend before the Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund presidential forum in Des Moines, Iowa, earlier Friday urged Walmart to remove firearms from its shelves. Since 22 people were killed in El Paso, Walmart has pulled advertising for violent video games. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, and Obama administration housing secretary Julian Castro, however, joined Warren’s call in demanding further action be taken.
“I think it would be more effective if instead of taking down pictures of guns, they actually stopped selling guns,” Warren said. “I think Walmart should be the leader here. I remember back in 2014, when CVS stepped up and said they weren’t going to sell tobacco products anymore. That sent a big signal.”
Warren spoke with reporters during a campaign stop about water management in Humboldt, Iowa, ahead of other scheduled appearances at the Iowa State fair and the Iowa Democratic Party’s Wing Ding Dinner. The events are crucial pit stops for presidential contenders hoping to woo voters in the first-in-the-nation primary election state.
On Friday, Warren continued to back the Renewable Fuel Standard, which requires U.S.-produced gas to contain certain amounts of renewable fuel, including Iowa-made corn ethanol. Yet, she shied away from endorsing federal mandates to incentivize the state’s farmers to meet Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy benchmarks as part of the agriculture industry’s conservation efforts.
