Gun-Loving 22-Year-Old Who Sang Star Spangled Banner At Trump Rally Crowned Miss USA
Mississippi’s Asya Branch, a 22-year-old Second Amendment supporter who sang the national anthem at a rally for President Donald Trump, won the 2020 Miss USA pageant on Monday.
Branch was the first black woman to represent Mississippi in the pageant in 2018, the UK Daily Mail reported.
Monday evening in Memphis, Tennessee, she was selected as Miss USA.
The road Branch took to her victory at Elvis Presley’s Graceland estate was one with a few roadblocks.
The pageant was initially postponed in the spring due to fears about the spread of the coronavirus.
The socially distant event was finally held on Monday, but saw contestants, even Branch, at times wear face masks.
But when it came to substantive issues, the eventual winner apparently impressed judges.
Branch was asked about how she felt the country could unify, and she pointed a finger partially at the media.
“I think this is an issue of trust. We’ve lost trust in the systems that seem to keep our country running —- from the media, to business to our government,” Branch said.
“It’s all about restoring that trust,” she added.
Later, Branch, a student at Ole Miss, was asked about her stance on gun laws.
“As someone who grew up in a home with guns, I learned at an early age how to load, how to fire, and gun safety,” Branch said, “and I think that education should be available to everyone.”
While the newly-crowned Miss USA said she believed potential gun buyers should be required to go through training prior to buying a gun, she also stated that she feels gun rights are crucial.
Branch said, “I think it’s important that we not ban guns, because obviously people will find a way to get what they want anyways, but I think it’s our Second Amendment Right, and we just need more safety surrounding that.”
Branch has posted videos online of herself shooting firearms.
The young woman sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” at a rally for President Donald Trump in Mississippi in October of 2018.
She also sat in on a roundtable with the president on criminal justice reform that year, the New York Post reported.
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