Donald Trump railed against “radical left-wing” 2020 hopefuls and praised members of the National Rifle Association during a speech hosted by the guns right’s group Friday.”Far-left radicals in Congress want to take away your voice, your jobs, your rights,” the president said. “And they especially want to take away your guns.” He went on to slam the press as “fake news” and vowed to protect the Second Amendment in the US.Mr Trump also called in to Sean Hannity’s Fox News show on Thursday evening to accuse the Democrats and Obama-era Justice Department of orchestrating a “coup” against him and Hillary Clinton of allowing thousands of private messages to be leaked and “destroying the lives” of his campaign staff. The chairmen of the House Oversight, Judiciary and Homeland Security committees have meanwhile launched a joint investigation into the departures of Kirstjen Nielsen, Randolph Alles and other officials earlier this month as a potential threat to national security.With pro-gun legislation largely stalled in Congress, Mr Trump also revealed Friday he was withdrawing the US from an international agreement on the arms trade, calling it “badly misguided.”He made the announcement as he vowed to fight for gun rights and implored members of the nation’s largest pro-gun group — struggling to maintain its influence — to rally behind his re-election bid.“It’s under assault,” he said of the constitutional right to bear arms. “But not while we’re here.”Mr Trump said he would be revoking the United States’ status as a signatory of the UN Arms Trade Treaty, which regulates international trade in conventional weapons, from small arms to battle tanks, combat aircraft and warships. Former President Barack Obama signed the pact in 2013 but it has never been ratified by US lawmakers.“Under my administration, we will never surrender American sovereignty to anyone,” Mr Trump said, before signing a document on stage asking the Senate to halt the ratification process. “We will never allow foreign diplomats to trample on your Second Amendment freedom.”Additional reporting by AP. Please allow a moment for our liveblog to load
