Parkland survivor David Hogg calls Trump a 'damn coward' for failing on gun reform

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA: Parkland school shooting survivor and gun control activist David Hogg unleashed a scathing message for President Donald Trump during an appearance on CNN, accusing the president of cowardice for refusing to challenge the National Rifle Association (NRA).

The interview came just one day after the tragic mass shooting at Annunciation Roman Catholic Church in Minneapolis.

David Hogg says leaders choose inaction when it comes to gun reform 

Authorities confirmed that 23-year-old Robin Westman opened fire through the church windows on Wednesday, August 27, killing two children, ages eight and 10, and injuring 17 others before taking their own life.

Speaking with CNN anchor Pamela Brown on ‘The Situation Room’, Hogg argued that America’s leaders and Trump in particular have the power to enact reforms that could prevent such tragedies but instead choose inaction.

Brown noted that Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara reported no early warning signs that could have flagged Westman under Minnesota’s red flag law, prompting her to ask Hogg what additional steps might have made a difference.

Brown said, “I actually spoke with Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara in the last hour, and I asked him about whether there were any missed warning signs. And he told me that in these early stages of the investigation, there was nothing out of the ordinary that would have tripped up law enforcement in the lead-up to that attack and that would have triggered Minnesota’s red flag law when purchasing those weapons legally.”

Hogg pointed to the lack of federal funding for gun violence research. “Well, I think first and foremost a basic thing that we — that Republicans and Democrats and Congress could do right now is in order to figure out how to prevent these shootings, you know what would be useful? Funding for research at the CDC and NIH. This is the leading cause of death for young people in this country right now,” he said.

He argued that Congress could pass funding measures through reconciliation with just 51 votes, avoiding filibuster hurdles.

“We need more investigation and research into that, that we could pass simply as a reconciliation measure without having to deal with the filibuster with just 51 votes. That could be an easy thing that we could do, but also obviously, more information is coming out about this. But the bottom line is this. Donald Trump has the power to do something about this,” Hogg added.

David Hogg says Trump has the power to end gun violence 

But David Hogg reserved his most heated criticism for Donald Trump, accusing him of betraying the promises he made after the 2018 Parkland massacre.

“After Parkland, Trump told lawmakers, ‘You guys are cowards. You’re not going to do anything because you’re afraid of the NRA.’ That is what he said. And then he met with the NRA and did nothing. Why? Because he is a coward,” the 25-year-old said.

Turning directly to the camera, Hogg issued a blistering denunciation: “You are the strongest president in modern American history, with a chokehold over your party and both chambers of Congress. You have the power to end this, but you are not going to because you’re a damn coward!”

Internet reacts after Parkland survivor goes off at Trump over gun reform

Parkland survivor and activist David Hogg sparked a heated debate online after unleashing a fiery rant at President Donald Trump during a CNN appearance, calling the former president a “coward” on the issue of mass shootings.

But online, many users pushed back and defended Trump.

One wrote, “We all saw how Trump reacted after being shot and we know he is not a coward.” Another added, “Watching CNN and listening to a Democrat is like getting financial advice from your broke cousin.”

Some critics argued that Trump should be given credit for solutions instead of attacks. “Trump has the power to make the solution happen and eliminate schools being gun free shooting galleries! The only real common sense solution!” one user said.

Others mocked the CNN segment itself, with one writing, “He just wants the camera pointed at him. Trash media is happy to oblige,” and another said, “I refuse to be lectured about cowardice by someone who corpse-podiums professionally.”

An individual suggested, “I think Trump should pay him a visit. There's obviously something stupid that the Democrats are doing.”

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.