Trump: ‘If I Were There’ I Would’ve Taken Out The Paris Attackers

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump attends a rally Monday, Dec. 14, 2015, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said Monday night at a campaign rally in Las Vegas that if he had been present for the Paris terror attacks, he would’ve personally shot at the attackers and “those people would’ve been gone.”

More than 100 people were killed and more than 350 injured in coordinated terror attacks across Paris at the end of November. The incident reignited attention on the Islamic State, which took responsibility for the attacks carried out by people believed to be French and Belgian nationals.

But Trump said he would’ve been able to kill the shooters if he had been there with his gun in tow.

“If a few of those people that are now dead, if a few of those people had guns strapped to their ankles or strapped to their waists, you wouldn’t have the problem, right?” Trump said. “If I were there, I’m licensed to carry, I will tell you this. If I were there, if somebody were there, if we had some firepower in the opposite direction, those people would’ve been gone.”

But Trump’s rhetoric is less bellicose when he talks about mass shootings in the United States that don’t have a connection to terrorism. Following the massacre earlier this year at Umpqua Community College in Oregon, Trump had said “these things happen” and “you can’t institutionalize everybody,” referring to reports that the gunman suffered from mental health issues.

h/t: Right Wing Watch

Latest Livewire

Notable Replies

  1. “More than 100 people were killed and more than 350 injured in coordinated terror attacks across Paris at the end of November…”

    These things happen.

  2. If Trump were piloting a jet in NYC airspace on 9/11, he would have slammed his jet into the jet of the terrorists and saved all the people in Tower 1.

  3. Avatar for sjk sjk says:

    Yeah, I am a CQB expert! The best! I was in military school, too!

  4. Retard.

  5. Damn these draft dodgers are brave! America has the bravest draft dodgers in the world! They’re YUUUUUGE!

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

163 more replies

Participants

Avatar for chris_b Avatar for alliebean Avatar for srfromgr Avatar for littlegirlblue Avatar for mattinpa Avatar for fargo116 Avatar for cessnadriver Avatar for chammy Avatar for freeportguy2 Avatar for economides Avatar for steviedee111 Avatar for lio Avatar for mantan Avatar for sickneffintired Avatar for ottnott Avatar for hugopreuss Avatar for jcblues Avatar for darrtown Avatar for emilianoelmexicano Avatar for jtx Avatar for bankerpup Avatar for jalus Avatar for springfielder Avatar for oistein

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: