Trump had followed a playbook familiar to many politicians in the aftermath of a mass shooting, expressing outrage and an urgency for solutions. And then, as the weeks passed, he continued following that script, growing quieter on the issue and meekly equivocating on the modest gun-control measures he’d once pushed for. The shock of the shooting wore off; the national conversation moved on. As Vice President Mike Pence put it Friday in his own speech before the gun lobby, members of the NRA represented the “forgotten men and women” who’d supported Trump—and Trump never forgets who supports him.

To see Trump beaming onstage in Indianapolis, then, was to watch a Republican’s relationship with the NRA come full circle. Other than his own rallies, there are few places where Trump gets the enthusiastic welcome he feels he deserves. For this president, uniform praise takes precedence over most things, and especially over the backlash that could come from daring to toe the party line on guns. His lively reception from the NRA, and the pleasure he clearly took from it, sent a strong signal that his party’s stance toward guns is more resolute than ever.

In his roughly hour-long speech, the president stayed largely on message. He praised NRA members for standing up for “our God-given rights without exception” and “fighting for the timeless values that have built and sustained our nation.” He lauded the Second Amendment enthusiasts as the people taking power back from “the swamp,” even as Washington’s “bad apples” tried to stop them. “They tried for a coup—didn’t work out so well,” Trump said, referring to those who investigated his campaign’s ties to Russia but ultimately could not establish collusion. “And I didn’t need a gun for that one, did I?”

About halfway through his speech, Trump teased that he was taking “another historic step to protect your Second Amendment rights.” In 2013, President Barack Obama signed a global arms pact that seeks to limit the illegal sale of weapons. Trump announced that he was seeking an executive order that would both revoke the United States’ support for the treaty and withdraw it from the Senate, where it has been awaiting ratification. “We will never allow foreign bureaucrats to trample on your Second Amendment freedom,” he said.

While onstage, he signed a letter asking the Senate “to discontinue the treaty-ratification process and return the now-rejected treaty right back to me in the Oval Office, where I will dispose of it.” The crowd began cheering. “They all want the pen. Can you believe these people? Should I give it to them?” Trump asked. More cheers. He tossed the pen into the crowd. “Famous pen,” he said.

All told, the speech was classic Trump—admonitions of “fake news,” riffs on socialism and “far-left Democrats,” and a triumphant take on the “collusion delusion.” It’s no surprise that the president appeared right at home, away from the subpoenas and investigations that threaten him back in Washington, and in front of a crowd who loved him.