Trump Didn't Buy Firearm, Says Campaign

Facts

• Former Pres. Donald Trump’s campaign on Monday backtracked over claims of whether Trump purchased a Glock firearm at Palmetto State Armory in South Carolina.¹
• Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung previously deleted a post on X — formerly Twitter — that stated the purchase was made. However, Cheung later clarified to the media that Trump didn’t buy the gun.¹
• It’s against federal law for someone under indictment to purchase a gun. Trump, the front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, is currently facing criminal charges in four different cases.²
• In a video that circulated on X before it was deleted, Trump was seen admiring a gun with his likeness branded on it. He was subsequently heard saying: “I want to buy one. Isn’t a Glock a great gun?”³
• The GOP politician and businessman, who held a rally in a Charleston suburb following the gun store visit, has pleaded not guilty to all charges and has characterized the indictments as election interference by Democrats and the Biden administration.⁴

Sources: ¹Forbes, ²CNBC, ³USA Today and ⁴New York Post.

Narratives

• Republican narrative, as provided by Newsmax. This is yet another case of Trump-hating Democrats taking the political titan's comments out of context to deliberately whip-up controversy. A video showed the former president merely admiring a gun – as any protector of the Second Amendment would – and expressing his desire to purchase one. The gun store has since confirmed that no purchase was made, so there's no reason to abuse the legal system by drumming up additional phony, politically motivated indictments.
• Democratic narrative, as provided by The nation. This incident should draw more attention to the fact that the law itself is under attack from Republican federal judges and conservative interest groups. Based on the Supreme Court’s absolutist interpretation of the Second Amendment, Trump might be eligible to purchase a gun within months despite his current legal status. These reports are not only about Trump and his catalogue of immoral and, potentially, illegal acts, they're about drawing the attention of Americans to the future of federal law and public safety in the face of an overwhelmingly conservative SCOTUS.

Predictions