President Trump shook up the gun control debate — and many members of his own party — with a televised White House meeting with lawmakers that lasted more than an hour on Wednesday afternoon.
President Trump Donald John TrumpAccuser says Trump should be afraid of the truth Woman behind pro-Trump Facebook page denies being influenced by Russians Shulkin says he has White House approval to root out ’subversion‘ at VA MORE shook up the gun control debate — and many members of his own party — with a televised White House meeting with lawmakers that lasted more than an hour on Wednesday afternoon.
Trump expressed support for a number of gun control measures, including strengthened background checks and stricter age limits, even as he held fast to his insistence that schools should be made “harder” targets by permitting teachers and other personnel to be armed.
The reverberations from the meeting will continue for days, but what were the main takeaways?
Trump really does want action
There had been considerable skepticism over whether Trump was really intent upon taking action on gun violence, long a vexing issue in American politics, in the days immediately after the Feb. 14 Parkland, Fla., shooting.
But his demand to get something done appeared both genuine and urgent during Wednesday’s meeting. He repeatedly made the point that other presidents had failed to make progress on the issue but that he intended to do so.
Trump’s desire for action included some moves that will cause serious unease to the National Rifle Association (NRA) and other gun-rights groups.
Trump was dismissive of the idea of including so-called “concealed carry reciprocity” measures alongside broader legislation, arguing it would delay the effort to get something done. “You’ll never get it passed,” he told House Majority Whip Steve Scalise Stephen (Steve) Joseph ScaliseHouse GOP pushes hard-line immigration plan as Senate deals fail Ex-GOP lawmaker: Vote Republicans out of office if you want mass shootings stopped Speculation swirls about Kevin McCarthy’s future MORE (R-La.).
Trump at times suggested that his predecessor, President Obama, had not asserted himself strongly enough in the push for gun control — a claim that overlooks the efforts Obama made, in vain, to pass stricter gun laws in the wake of the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., in 2012.
But the Obama comparison also shows the extent to which Trump is making it a matter of personal pride to notch up some kind of achievement on gun laws.
That, in itself, seems to increase the chances of success.
Trump took aim at the NRA during the hour-long meeting, positioning himself as unafraid of the powerful gun lobby that has dominated politics for decades.
When GOP Sen. Pat Toomey Patrick (Pat) Joseph ToomeyTop GOP candidate drops out of Ohio Senate race Newly declassified memos detail extent of improper Obama-era NSA spying Overnight Tech: FCC won’t fine Colbert over Trump joke| Trump budget slashes science funding| Net neutrality comment period opens MORE (Pa.) told Trump that his 2013 background check bill didn’t raise the minimum age for buying a rifle, Trump fired back: “You know why? Because you’re afraid of the NRA, right?”
The NRA has come out strongly against increasing the minimum age from 18 to 21. But Trump, describing himself as a “fan” of the organization, urged lawmakers to consider including such a provision in their bill.
Trump also told them he wanted to be “very powerful” on background checks and warned that including concealed carry reciprocity would sink the overall legislation.
The NRA released a statement on late Wednesday afternoon that did not mention Trump, called the White House even “great TV” and warned that legislation should not “punish law-abiding Americans.”
Sen. John Cornyn John CornynLawmakers feel pressure on guns Kasich’s campaign website tones down gun language after Florida shooting Murphy: Trump’s support for background check bill shows gun politics ‘shifting rapidly’ MORE (R-Texas) downplayed the idea that Trump’s comments would result in a shift on Capitol Hill on guns.
“I wouldn’t confuse what he said with what can actually pass. So I think I don’t expect to see any great divergence in terms of people’s views on the Second Amendment, for example,” Cornyn said.
Trump believes these meetings work for him
This is the second lengthy meeting where Trump has allowed lawmakers to put forth divergent ideas on a contentious issue. The first came on immigration last month
Additionally, Trump’s White House meeting with Parkland survivors last week also struck an unusual tone. Instead of the tightly scripted, buttoned-down events of the past, Trump spent most of his time listening, while people affected by gun violence delivered raw and emotional speeches.
The degree to which the White House is willing to jettison the script in favor of looser, more improvisational gatherings is fascinating — not least because of what it says politically.
Trump aides clearly feel the approach helps him, and it’s not hard to see why. Trump in listening mode seems a less combative and polarizing figure than at his campaign rallies.
Meetings with lawmakers also allow Trump to cast himself in his favorite role of deal-maker, willing to go against his own party orthodoxy.
That happened at the immigration meeting, where he seemed to signal agreement with Sen. Dianne Feinstein Dianne Emiel FeinsteinLawmakers feel pressure on guns Feinstein: Trump must urge GOP to pass bump stock ban Florida lawmakers reject motion to consider bill that would ban assault rifles MORE (D-Calif.) on the need for a clean bill to replace the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, to the evident unease of House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy Kevin Owen McCarthyTrump talk riles advocates on both sides of gas tax House GOP pushes hard-line immigration plan as Senate deals fail Speculation swirls about Kevin McCarthy’s future MORE (R-Calif.).
On Wednesday, he expressed support for bipartisan legislation and requested that such legislation incorporate ideas from two Democratic senators, Feinstein and Sen. Amy Klobuchar Amy Jean KlobucharOvernight Health Care: Trump eases rules on insurance outside ObamaCare| HHS office on religious rights gets 300 complaints in a month| GOP chair eyes opioid bill vote by Memorial Day Overnight Regulation: Trump to take steps to ban bump stocks| Trump eases rules on insurance sold outside of ObamaCare| FCC to officially rescind net neutrality Thursday| Obama EPA chief: Reg rollback won’t stand Dems seek reversal of nursing home regulatory rollback MORE (D-Minn.).
One caveat, however: the expansive tone of these meetings does not necessarily last for long.
Just two days after the immigration encounter, Trump caused uproar by reportedly referring to “shithole countries” at a subsequent, closed White House meeting.
Trump’s free-wheeling style sparked immediate confusion on Capitol Hill about the path forward.
Cornyn and Sen. Marco Rubio Marco Antonio RubioColbert: Students taking action on gun violence ‚give me hope‘ Lawmakers feel pressure on guns Florida lawmaker’s aide fired after claiming shooting survivors were ‚actors‘ MORE (R-Fla.) pointed to the Fix NICS (National Instant Background Check System) Act as the bill the Senate should take up, while Democrats and Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) thought Trump added new life to the 2013 Manchin-Toomey background check bill.
“He knows something has to be done. It’s the most reasonable approach. It was good in 2013. It’s good now. So we’ll use it as our base and work off of it,” Manchin said.
