Survivors of school shootings got a single meeting with Donald Trump in which he needed a note card reminding him to express empathy. The National Rifle Association has apparently unlimited access to lobby Trump on its preferred policies:
National Rifle Association leaders appealed directly to President Donald Trump about not raising the age limit for buying certain firearms, a senior administration official tells CNN.
The appeal came when Trump had lunch with the leaders on Sunday. The official said the NRA would prefer that the White House pursue school safety programs.
And hey, what do you know:
President Donald Trump appears to be backing away from his call last week to increase the age limit to 21 for some weapons, sources told CNN.
Trump sees survivors as a chance at a photo op, and NRA officials as people to have a real discussion about policy with (at least insofar as Trump is capable of a real discussion about policy). Or to put it another way: when he meets with NRA officials, Trump probably doesn’t need a card reminding himself that “I hear you.”