Trump: NRA Leaders Are 'Great American Patriots'

President Donald Trump — besieged by complaints about the power of the National Rifle Association — on Thursday defended the leaders of the pro-firearms group as "great American patriots."

 Trump tweeted:

What many people don't understand, or don't want to understand, is that Wayne, Chris and the folks who work so hard at the @NRA are Great People and Great American Patriots. They love our Country and will do the right thing. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 22, 2018

Trump's Twitter post came the morning after the president held a listening session with survivors and parents of victims of last week's high school massacre in Parkland, Florida, in which 17 were shot dead, as well as past mass shootings at Columbine and Newtown.

The president on Thursday also slammed CNN and NBC, tweeting "I never said 'give teachers guns.'"

I never said “give teachers guns” like was stated on Fake News @CNN & @NBC. What I said was to look at the possibility of giving “concealed guns to gun adept teachers with military or special training experience - only the best. 20% of teachers, a lot, would now be able to

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 22, 2018

....immediately fire back if a savage sicko came to a school with bad intentions. Highly trained teachers would also serve as a deterrent to the cowards that do this. Far more assets at much less cost than guards. A “gun free” school is a magnet for bad people. ATTACKS WOULD END!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 22, 2018