Ivanka Trump says having armed teachers in US schools is 'not a bad idea'

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Ivanka Trump says having armed teachers in US schools is 'not a bad idea'

ivanka olympics

Eric Gaillard/Reuters

Snowboarding - Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics - Men's Big Air Finals - Alpensia Ski Jumping Centre - Pyeongchang, South Korea - February 24, 2018 - U.S. President Donald Trump's daughter and senior White House adviser, Ivanka Trump sits in the stands.

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  • Ivanka Trump said the idea to arm teachers after a school shooting in Florida it was "not a bad idea" during a trip to South Korea.
  • Trump took no position, saying she didn't know if it was a good idea, but that having armed teachers who care and are capable and qualified "needs to be discussed."
  • President Donald Trump has already proposed some gun control measures which the NRA has pushed back on.


Ivanka Trump, daughter of and special adviser to the president discussed the prospect of arming teachers to combat and deter school shootings during her trip to South Korea for the closing of the Winter Olympics, saying it was "not a bad idea."

Asked if she thought arming teachers would make students safer during an exclusive interview with NBC, she neither supported or condemned the idea.

"To be honest, I don't know," Trump said. "Obviously, there would have to be an incredibly high standard for who would be able to bear arms in our school. But I think there is no one solution for creating safety."

Trump, who has advised her father on key decisions before, previewed what she might say if she were to advise him on the issue.

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"I think that having a teacher who is armed who cares deeply about her students or his students and who is capable and qualified to bear arms is not a bad idea, but it is an idea that needs to be discussed," Trump said.

On Monday, President Donald Trump will meet with governors from around the US for an annual meeting where the Florida shooting that left 17 students dead will reportedly dominate the agenda.

President Trump has already held a listening session with students in teachers in the wake of the tragedy, and announced plans for gun control measures, which the NRA has already pushed back on.

President Trump drew wide condemnation from teachers groups after talking up the idea of arming teachers, which he now says he'll leave up to the states to decide.