If President Trump is really interested in a bipartisan approach to deal with America’s gun problem, he got off to a flat-footed start today by purposely omitting Florida Senator Bill Nelson from a White House meeting with lawmakers from both parties to seek a legislative answer to the most recent shooting in his home state.
Nelson is a Democrat – but the guest list included four other Democratic Senators, along with seven Republican Senators.
.@SenBillNelson clearly frustrated that the WH did not invite him to the bipartisan meeting on guns today. "I don't know why I wasn't invited… And of course that doesn't foster bipartisanship when you're trying to solve a problem," he told ABC.
— Ali Rogin (@AliABCNews) February 28, 2018
The decision is “all political,” said an aide to the Senator.
“The White House is doing everything it can to help (Florida) Gov. Rick Scott as he prepares to run against Nelson this year,” the staffer told The Hill. “This is just the latest.”
Trump has been pushing Scott to take on Nelson in what many expect would be the most expensive Senate race in the U.S. this fall.
Marco Rubio, Florida’s other Senator – and a Republican – was invited, along with Florida’s House members including Republican Reps. John Rutherford and Brian Mast, and Democratic Reps Ted Deutch and Stephanie Murphy.
At the meeting, according to ABC’s Ali Rogen, Trump seemed to like many of the ideas about how to create a more sensible gun control with the exception of the right to carry concealed weapons, which he made clear is not part of this package.
Trump says Manchin/Toomey is "the best we've ever done" on guns but just suggested he's not read-in on what exactly it does.
— Ali Rogin (@AliABCNews) February 28, 2018
Trump called the Manchin/Toomey gun reform bill one of the best and blamed President Obama for his leadership failure in getting it passed.
In reality, Obama worked hard for passage but was stymied by the Republicans in a close vote and afterward he literally cried over the failure.
The question was with or without Nelson, whether Trump would really follow through when there will be a lot of pushback from the NRA and conservatives in his party.
Seems like one of those days where Trump endorses everything in the meeting and then it gets walked back over the next 24 hours
— Jim Newell (@jim_newell) February 28, 2018
Nelson may be confused but it isn’t really surprising. Trump is known to play political favorites and use the power of his office to promote those with whom he agrees.
Trump also holds grudges and it has been reported keeps a list of his enemies, so Nelson is probably in very good company with all the people who know the president is a liar, fake and not to be trusted.
We certainly can’t trust that Trump will push through gun reform if he sees the current political headwind for passage fading, or if the NRA makes enough threats and promises enough campaign money this November.