Trump addresses an embattled NRA as he campaigns against Biden’s gun policies
CNN
Donald Trump arrives at the NRA convention a reliable ally of gun rights activists. But it’s unclear how much the NRA can help with his latest White House bid.
In May 2016, near the zenith of its political sway, the National Rifle Association endorsed Donald Trump for president in a symbolic but forceful show of support for a Republican whose commitment to gun owners was still largely unknown. The group then spent more than $30 million to help elect Trump that November. Trump arrives here Saturday for the NRA’s annual convention having proven himself a reliable ally of Second Amendment activists over the intervening eight years. Significantly less clear, though, is how much the NRA can help Trump’s bid to win the White House once again. The NRA enters the 2024 election cycle with its future uncertain and relevance in question. A series of cascading scandals related to financial misconduct have badly damaged the reputation and coffers of the nation’s most prominent gun rights group, culminating in February with a New York jury finding the organization and top executives liable in a civil corruption case. Amid the turmoil, the NRA’s longtime CEO, Wayne LaPierre, stepped down. After several years of internal power struggles, the organization will attempt this weekend to install new leadership. It’s a stunning fall for a group that at its peak commanded enough Republican votes in Congress to stall almost any action to restrict firearms, even amid periods of national grief over mass shootings. “I haven’t heard anything about the NRA since I literally can’t remember when,” said one veteran Republican strategist, who nevertheless asked not to be named in order to speak freely. “It’s been years, plural. I’ve heard nothing. Full stop nothing.” The strategist added: “I just think they’re not relevant anymore.”
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