Anita Kumar
President Donald Trump sees a rare political opportunity to act on gun control — and if there was ever a time to do it, this is probably it. Nine out of 10 Trump voters support universal background checks, according to a new poll — and a majority favor other gun control measures. The NRA is in shambles. And Trump's reelection hopes would be helped mightily by more support among moderate suburban voters — who back the measures but abandoned Republicans in the midterms. “There’s momentum here and an expectation from the American people to be responsive to this violence,” said a Republican close to the White House and familiar with the president’s thinking. “The president would be smart to lead in this moment; his party would absolutely follow him.” In the days since mass shootings in Texas and Ohio left 31 people dead, Trump has talked to Congress’ top two leaders, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky) and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) multiple times, about how to proceed, according to people familiar with the phone calls. He also called Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), the bipartisan tandem who pushed expanded background checks, and Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who proposed a bill to help states confiscate firearms from people deemed dangerous. The odds of serious gun control legislation clearing Congress and being signed into law remain slim. McConnell has shown no interest in the past; the same goes for his conference. And the same pattern has played out over and over: A public outcry after a mass shooting, followed by handwringing among lawmakers for a few days or weeks, before the issue fades until the next shooting. Still, the confluence of public outrage and political imperative for Trump makes the aftermath of El Paso and Dayton distinctive. And Republicans are pushing Trump to take advantage — to create the kind of Nixon-to-China moment they say could help his cause in 2020...MORE
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