In a nationally televised negotiation with Republican and Democratic leaders at the White House Wednesday, President Trump appeared to back many liberal gun control proposals much to the delight of the liberal media. During their evening broadcasts ABC, CBS, and NBC touted how the President “stood up to the National Rifle Association” and pushed back against Republicans.
The report on NBC Nightly News was arguably the most vicious against gun rights advocates. “Under pressure after Parkland, President Trump taking on his own party and the National Rifle Association today,” hyped White House correspondent Kristen Welker. “Mr. Trump, at a freewheeling hour-long meeting with a group of bipartisan lawmakers, trying to get something, anything done, appeared to embrace nearly everything he heard in the meeting[.]”
Welker noted that Trump wanted to “confiscat[e] guns from those deemed dangerous,” but slimed folks on the right by insinuating they didn’t care who had weapons, saying “a move opposed by many conservatives.” She then played a clip of Trump arguing that government should “take the guns first, go through due process second,” but she failed to mention such an act was unconstitutional.
“Even taking on red-state Democrat Joe Manchin and Republican Pat Toomey for not including an age limit increase in their background check bill,” Welker reported with glee. And she seemed impressed that Trump “even push[ed] back against fellow Republican Steve Scalise, shot and nearly killed during a baseball practice last summer.”
On ABC’s World News Tonight, they seemed ecstatic. “He was sitting with Republicans and Democrats on guns and school safety, saying he supports what many of the Democrats support, universal background checks, among other things, pushed by the students and families in Parkland, Florida,” announced anchor David Muir as he led into the report by Chief White House Correspondent Jon Karl.
Karl was brimming with energy as he was delivering his report: “Before the television cameras at the White House, the most pro-NRA President in history gathered together a group including some of Congress's most forceful advocates of gun control.” “And sitting in that room, the President repeatedly took positions that put himself at odds with the NRA and Republican leaders in Congress,” he added.
The ABC reporter also boasted about how Trump appeared to opposed Vice President Pence in wanting to “take the guns first, go through due process second.” He too failed to mention the illegality of the move. “The President told the bipartisan group, he wants more than action. He wants bold action. A comprehensive bill on guns and school safety,” he exclaimed.
Meanwhile, on CBS Evening News, Chief Congressional Correspondent Nancy Cordes was the only one to note that what Trump wanted would be “skirting the law.”
But CBS promoted Trump’s apparent gun control push, with anchor Jeff Glor stating: “The President gathered members of Congress, Democrats and Republicans, at the White House today and said, it's time to end the nonsense and do something about gun violence.” “President Trump scrambled the partisan divide on guns today, siding with Democrats on dramatically expanding background checks and raising the purchasing age for semi-automatic weapons,” Cordes added.
The liberal media are such big anti-gun advocates that they appear to be willing to side with Trump to push their agenda.
The relevant parts of the transcripts are below, expand to read each one:
NBC Nightly News
February 28, 2018
7:04:14 PM Eastern [1 minute 42 seconds]LESTER HOLT: And two weeks after the mass shooting at a Florida high school, the President stood up to the National Rifle Association today. At least on some points. As he met with members of Congress from both parties, Mr. Trump appeared to embrace new gun restrictions as he told them to come up with legislation aimed at preventing more school shootings. NBC's Kristen Welker now with that story.
[Cuts to video]
KRISTEN WELKER: Under pressure after Parkland, President Trump taking on his own party and the National Rifle Association today.
(…)
WELKER: Mr. Trump, at a freewheeling hour-long meeting with a group of bipartisan lawmakers, trying to get something, anything done, appeared to embrace nearly everything he heard in the meeting from confiscating guns from those deemed dangerous, a move opposed by many conservatives.
DONALD TRUMP: Take the guns first, go through due process second.
WELKER: And embracing long-held Democratic ideas like universal background checks, and increasing the minimum age to 21 to buy some weapons. Even taking on red-state Democrat Joe Manchin and Republican Pat Toomey for not including an age limit increase in their background check bill.
(…)
WELKER: At times, Wheeling and dealing in real-time.
(…)
WELKER: Even pushing back against fellow Republican Steve Scalise, shot and nearly killed during a baseball practice last summer, when Scalise suggested adding a measure involving a concealed weapons permit to a bill aimed at strengthening background checks.
(…)
ABC
World News Tonight
February 28, 2018
6:35:15 PM Eastern [2 minutes 45 seconds]DAVID MUIR: As you know, the other firestorm tonight, Republicans reacting at this hour to what they saw from the President today at the White House. He was sitting with Republicans and Democrats on guns and school safety, saying he supports what many of the Democrats support, universal background checks, among other things, pushed by the students and families in Parkland, Florida. But tonight, many in his own party are now livid. ABC's Chief White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl.
[Cuts to video]
JON KARL: Before the television cameras at the White House, the most pro-NRA President in history gathered together a group including some of Congress's most forceful advocates of gun control.
(…)
KARL: And sitting in that room, the President repeatedly took positions that put himself at odds with the NRA and Republican leaders in Congress. He embraced Connecticut Democrat Chris Murphy's call for background checks on all gun purchases. An idea Republicans have voted down again and again.
(…)
KARL: Trump even seemed to oppose his own vice president on how to take guns from someone identified as a possible threat.
(…)
KARL: And the President brought up an idea the NRA says it firmly opposes: raising the age to buy assault weapons, like the AR-15 used in the Parkland shooting, to 21 years old.
(…)
KARL: The President told the bipartisan group, he wants more than action. He wants bold action. A comprehensive bill on guns and school safety. He told one Republican leader to put aside a controversial pro-gun measure and to concentrate on something Democrats will support.
(…)
CBS Evening News
February 28, 2018
6:34:41 PM Eastern [1 minute 7 seconds]JEFF GLOR: The President gathered members of Congress, Democrats and Republicans, at the White House today and said, it's time to end the nonsense and do something about gun violence. Here's Chief Congressional Correspondent Nancy Cordes.
[Cuts to video]
DONALD TRUMP: I'm not into popularity. I'm into getting something done that's good.
NANCY CORDES: President Trump scrambled the partisan divide on guns today, siding with Democrats on dramatically expanding background checks and raising the purchasing age for semi-automatic weapons.
TRUMP: It doesn't make sense that I have to wait until I'm 21 to get handgun, but I can get this weapon at 18. Just curious as to what you did in your bill?
(…)
CORDES: President Trump also clashed with Republicans, including recent shoot shooting victim Steve Scalise when they argued gun owners need the right the carry concealed weapons across state lines.
(…)
CORDES: Those weapons, he argued, should have been confiscated from the Florida shooter, even if it meant skirting the law.(…)
