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US President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with bipartisan members of Congress on school and community safety in the Cabinet Room of the White House on Wednesday. Photo: AFP

‘You’re scared of the NRA!’ Inside Donald Trump’s bizarre gun-control meeting with US lawmakers

Trump stuns Republicans at televised meeting by embracing gun-control measures, saying guns should be confiscated, and ‘everything’ should be added to proposed legislation

Donald Trump

Less than half an hour into his meeting with lawmakers on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump urged the illegal confiscation of guns, told a Republican – to his face – that he was scared of the NRA, and threw a series of wrenches into Congress’s legislative strategy on guns.

In other words, another meeting with Trump.

This was actually the second time in 2018 that Trump has allowed the press to film a meeting with lawmakers – the first was on immigration – but the result was quite familiar.

That is, a president who seems to not know exactly what he wants to do tends to insert strange comments into the very serious business of legislating. 

Trump also repeatedly instructed lawmakers on whether to combine specific gun proposals or not – regularly drawing non-committal or even exasperated responses.

Trump in Wednesday’s meeting. Photo: Reuters

One of the strangest moments came when he argued that the alleged gunman in the tragedy in Parkland, Florida – about whom there were numerous red flags – should have had his guns taken away regardless of what the law allowed.

Take the guns first, go through due process second
US President Donald Trump

“I think they should have taken them away, whether they had the right or not,” Trump said. He added later, in case there was any doubt: “Take the guns first, go through due process second.”

In an exchange with Senator Pat Toomey (Republican, Pennsylvania), Trump seemed to not know what was contained in the bill Toomey proposed with Senator Joe Manchin (Democrat, West Virginia), after the 2012 tragedy at an junior school in Newtown, Connecticut. 

Trump asked whether the bill, which was focused on background checks, would have raised the age limit for buying assault weapons.

When Toomey said it did not, Trump shot back: “You know why? Because you’re afraid of the NRA.”

The rejoinder was especially odd given Toomey was one of few Republicans who supported his backgrounds checks bill, which failed, over the objections of the NRA.

US Democratic Senator from West Virginia Joe Manchin (left) talks with US Republican Senator from Pennsylvania Pat Toomey on Wednesday. The pair previously proposed a bipartisan bill to improve background checks. Photo: EPA-EFE

It also happens to confirm the argument Democrats regularly make against Republicans. Trump would later go on to say that some of the members in the meeting were “petrified” of the NRA.

They have great power over you people. They have less power over me
US President Donald Trump

“They have great power over you people,” Trump said. “They have less power over me.”

The exchange also highlighted Trump’s vacillations on policy. Throughout the meeting, he told lawmakers to either include or exclude specific proposals from other bills. 

When Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (Republican, Texas), talked about his bipartisan bill to improve information-sharing in the background checks system, Trump suggested he should “add everything onto it and maybe change the title.” 

When Senator Amy Klobuchar (Democrat, Minnesota), talked about protecting against domestic abusers getting guns, Trump seemed to like the idea.

White House Chief of Staff John Kelly is seen during a meeting between US President Donald Trump and bipartisan members of Congress on school and community safety in the Cabinet Room of the White House on Tuesday. Photo: AFP

“If you could add that into this bill,” Trump said. “Can you add some of the things? Can you add what Amy and [Senator] Dianne [Feinstein, Democrat, California] have?”

If you add concealed carry to this bill you’ll never get it passed
US President Donald Trump

One thing Trump wanted taken out of the bill, though, was House Majority Whip Steve Scalise’s (Republican, Louisiana) push for creating reciprocity for concealed carry so that permits would be valid across state lines.

“If you add concealed carry to this bill,” Trump assured him, “you’ll never get it passed.”

Credit where credit is due for the White House holding these meetings in the open. It’s quite possible they’ll facilitate some bipartisan action. 

But Trump’s odd comments regularly seemed to confuse those present. And yet again, we have a window into the bizarre negotiating style that we usually only hear about second-hand.

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