In his Friday remarks at the NRA convention in Houston, Texas, former President Donald Trump not-so-subtly hinted at a 2024 run for the White House.

“And in 2024 we are going to take back that great and beautiful White House that we love and cherish so much,” said Trump, to uproarious applause.

Trump has not officially announced a White House run.

In his address at the NRA convention in Houston, Texas, former President Donald Trump brought up his 2020 election loss to President Joe Biden, calling it “rigged.”

Referring to his 2020 battle with Biden, Trump said it was a “rigged election.”

He further slammed Biden for inflation and foreign policy crises under his watch, while reminding listeners of his presidential successes.

Addressing the audience at the NRA convention in Houston, Texas, former President Donald Trump said the Biden administration must end its “war on police.”

“The Biden administration’s war on police must end … right now,” if Democrats are serious about ending violence, Trump said.

“We will no longer even mention defunding police,” he told the crowd.

The former president also decried attempts on the left to end qualified immunity for police officers.

In his remarks at the NRA convention, former President Donald Trump called school shootings a “contagion” that started with Columbine High School in 1999.

“Unfortunately, ever since Columbine we’ve been afflicted by a contagion of school shootings,” he told the crowd.

He further emphasized both school security and mental health. The former president claimed there should only be one point of entry to schools, something that many have criticized in the wake of the Uvalde, Texas school shooting.

According to the former president, schools must be “impenetrable.”

“We need to drastically change our approach to mental health,” he added, claiming there are warning signs that are being missed.

“Now is the time to find common ground,” Trump explained, slamming President Joe Biden for divisive rhetoric and villainization of American gun owners.

In his opening statement during remarks at the NRA convention, former President Donald Trump took a shot at multiple politicians that dropped out of the event after the Uvalde school shooting.

“Unlike some, I didn’t disappoint you by not showing up,” he told the audience.

Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX), Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), and Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick are among those who announced they would be skipping the event.

Former President Donald Trump is expected to attribute the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas to “evil” and call to arm more Americans in remarks before the NRA convention Friday evening.

Trump will explain that “The existence of evil in our world is not a reason to disarm law-abiding citizens—the existence of evil is one of the very best reasons to arm law-abiding citizens.”

He will also address families, telling the audience “We also have to deal with the problem of broken families—because no law can cure the effects of a broken home. There is no substitute for a strong mom and a great dad.”

The former president will also emphasize the importance of mental health and warning signs.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) took the stage Friday evening at the NRA convention, telling the crowd: “Never has the second amendment been more necessary.”

“The right to keep and bear arms is not theoretical, it’s not abstract,” said Cruz.

According to the senator, taking guns away from Americans will not make the country any safer. “It is incumbent on us to understand what is behind these evil attacks,” he explained.

Echoing Gov. Greg Abbott, Cruz noted that the current gun laws didn’t stop the shooter.

He recalled that his generation didn’t have these worries. “We never worried about a psychopath coming into our classrooms to commit murder,” Cruz said.

“Texas is strong,” the senator told the audience. “We will get through this.”

“There are no words to describe the monster who entered the school and murdered little children,” Cruz said.

He then called on his fellow lawmakers to take decisive action on the issue.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) told attendees at the NRA convention that “the Second Amendment is sacred” to her family, and gave them insight into her rural background.

“I don’t have all the answers for you today,” she said of the tragic school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, which left 21 dead.

“America is struggling right now,” Noem explained.

“As a mother and a grandmother,” she said she can’t imagine how the grieving families feel.

However, she said, it “is not the time for grandstanding.”

Noem told the audience that America needs to protect school children. She questioned why celebrities and banks are protected with armed guards but not schools.

The governor reiterated that she “never [wants] to see anything like this ever happen again.”

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) addressed the NRA convention virtually Friday in a pre-recorded video.

According to Abbott, the gunman responsible for the fatal school shooting in Uvalde violated multiple laws, but they didn’t stop him.

“America is grieving,” he said.

“The lord teaches us that every child is a precious gift,” the governor added, saying that evil took those gifts away on Tuesday.

The NRA convention in Houston, Texas kicked off around 4:00 p.m. EST Friday with CEO Wayne LaPierre addressing the fatal Uvalde school shooting that killed 21, most of whom were children.

Of the deadly school shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, LaPierre said, “We are with this community and all of America in prayer.”

He added that a tragedy like the one at Robb Elementary School “should never happen again.”

“NRA members are parents,” LaPierre explained.

According to the NRA president, if America could legislate evil out of people, “we would’ve done it a long time ago.”

He went on to stress the importance of school safety, calling schools “our most treasured and precious resource.”

Texas governor hopeful and former congressman Beto O’Rourke joined protesters in a park outside the NRA convention in Houston, Texas on Thursday.

“The time for us to stop the next mass shooting in this country is right now,” he told the crowd.

O’Rourke joined Black Lives Matter Houston, Indivisible Houston, Moms Demand Action, FIEL Houston, Texas American Federation of Teachers, Houston Federation of Teachers, March for Our Lives, and Harris County Democratic Party for the demonstration.

“To those who are attending the NRA convention across the street, you are not our enemies… we extend our hand, open and unarmed, in a gesture of peace and fellowship to welcome you to join us,” said the gubernatorial candidate. “We cannot wait any longer for you.”

“Please join us now or be left behind.”

O’Rourke made headlines Wednesday when he stormed the stage where Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) was holding a press conference with law enforcement and Uvalde, Texas officials.

“This was totally predictable,” he said during the encounter. “This is on you until you choose to do something.”

Demonstrators continue to arrive in Houston, Texas to protest the NRA convention, just days after a deadly school shooting left 21 dead in Uvalde.

Reporter Melanie Torre documented some of the demonstrations she saw, posting them to Twitter.

“Hey Ted your wallet is bleeding,” one protester’s sign says, likely in reference to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), who is one of the politicians who did not pull out of the convention.

Additional photos show a crowd gathering at a nearby park, armed with signs reading, “We demand action gun control now,” “Texas Republicans you are not ballotproof,” and “Gun control is a pro-life issue.” Another sign insinuates that GOP stands for “Guns over people.”

One woman’s sign depicts a score chart which reads, “Second Amendment scoreboard.” Underneath, it has two columns, one labeled “tyrants overthrown” and another that reads “children murdered.” There are no tallies in the first column, whereas there are several in the latter.

“How many more have to die to get universal background checks and red flag laws?” an additional sign reads.

Several protesters are also shown holding signs featuring the victims from Uvalde.

Ahead of former President Donald Trump‘s Friday remarks at the NRA convention in Houston, Texas, several groups are holding demonstrations against gun violence.

In a video posted to Twitter, demonstrators can be seen holding photos of the victims from the Tuesday school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, which left 21 dead, including 19 children. One child holds a sign reading, “Am I next?” while another sign reads, “Vote” above two boxes that say “my kids’ lives” and “your gun.”

Another group of protesters are seen toting what appears to be a child-sized casket in a video shared on social media.

Several politicians and guests have pulled out of the convention, however, Trump is still set to speak.

Gov. Greg abbott (R-TX) announced he won’t be speaking live at the convention, opting to visit Uvalde. He will still send video remarks to be played during the event.