Fox News anchor Shepard Smith highlighted President Trump’s recent flip-flop on passing background check legislation regarding to firearm sales during his show Monday afternoon.
Following two mass shootings earlier this month, that left over 30 people dead in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, the president explicitly supported strengthening background check laws and closing specific loopholes. Trump changed his tune on background checks when he spoke to reporters this weekend.
“You go into buy a gun, you have to sign up,” the president began. “There are a lot of background checks that have been approved over the years. So, I’ll have to see what it is, but Congress is meeting bipartisan. A lot of people want to see what happens. But just remember this, big mental problem, and we do have a lot of background checks right now.”
Smith aired the clip of Trump from Sunday and then said, “That’s new. We already have strong background checks. So, he was right. We need them. But now, we already have them. That is a new wrinkle in the history of no change.”
The Fox News anchor then aired a clip of Trump advocating for strengthening background checks in the days after the shooting.
“So after first saying we need strong background checks, now the president says we already have them, new to the pattern,” Smith responded after the video. “Remember, after the slaughter of innocent children at Parkland in Florida, it was, mass shooting happens, call for change erupt. President Trump says we need change. Phone call from the NRA, then nothing happens. But in this case, a new step along the road to sameness.”
