President Donald Trump seems to be taking the first steps toward addressing gun violence after the deadly shootings in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio earlier this month – and that’s apparently making his advisers nervous.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that as Trump reaches out to a bipartisan group of senators to discuss gun control measures to prevent future mass shootings, several of his aides have been privately telling the President to dial it back.
The advisers reportedly fear backlash from Trump’s base if he were to co-sign any of the gun restrictions that have been recently floated by members of Congress, such as stronger background checks and “red flag” laws.
Upon hearing that Trump is in talks with Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Pat Toomey (R-PA) about possible gun control policies, the National Rifle Association’s chief executive immediately called the President last week to convince him why the policies were a political mistake.
about possible gun control policies
Only because he looked bad and his trips to Dayton and El Paso were PR fiascos. He doesn’t give a rats about anything but himself and maybe Ivanka
Remember his lovely White House discussion with Parkland survivor students and parents complete with crib notes reminding him to say “I care” and promise to “do something” about gun control? Remember his complete walkback in the days immediately following? Yeah, we can trust him…
Claiming that Pat Toomey and Joe Manchin constitutes bipartisanship is completely bollocks.
I’m surprised he didn’t call in somebody who really knows bipartisanship, like Joe Lieberman.
“The advisers reportedly fear backlash from Trump’s base if he were to co-sign any of the gun restrictions that have been recently floated by members of Congress …”
Co-sign?
Still, I think their fears are misplaced as he probably won’t sign much of anything and there probably won’t be much of anything to sign. Although, I wish they were dead-on correct - universal background checks, ban and buy-back of assault-style weapons, ban on high-capacity magazines … and a Trump loss in 2020, with Democrats keeping the House and taking the Senate. I’d bite all my fingernails completely off for that.