Last updated on September 25th, 2023 at 08:55 pm
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer just backed Donald Trump into a corner on guns with one genius move.
On Monday, the top congressional Democrats said that if Trump backs their universal background check legislation and gets Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to go along, they will join him at a signing ceremony in the Rose Garden.
“I don’t see how he refuses,” MSNBC’s Chris Matthews said of the offer from Pelosi and Schumer. “He is scared right now. Trump doesn’t know what to do.”
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The ‘Hardball’ host added, “He better do this or he’s going to look very stupid.”
Video:
Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer make Trump an offer on guns that he would be “stupid” to turn down. #ctl #p2 pic.twitter.com/pAEvnyIVI5
— PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) September 17, 2019
Matthews said:
Democrats back President Trump into a corner on gun legislation, making him an offer on background checks. I don’t see how he refuses. But his response remains purposely muddled so as not to anger his pals at the NRA. He is scared right now. Trump doesn’t know what to do. This is one time on guns I think he knows that Nancy and Chuck have put something on the table – a firm offer to do background checks and background checks alone. He better do this or he’s going to look very stupid.
Chuck and Nancy know exactly what makes Trump tick
With one move, Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer tied Donald Trump’s hands by giving him an offer he would be insane to turn down.
The two Democratic leaders know exactly what makes this president tick – poll numbers and reality TV moments – and they are tapping into both in hopes of getting something meaningful done on guns.
Everyone is well aware that the polling – particularly universal background checks – is through the roof. About nine out of 10 Americans support the expansion of background checks to include all gun sales.
Doing something with that much broad public support – and signing it into law on a made-for-TV Rose Garden ceremony – is something that Trump has so far only dreamed of during his presidency.
The major question that remains is whether his desire for such a reality TV moment will overpower the influence that the National Rifle Association has over this president and his party.
Either way, Donald Trump will be making his decision for all the wrong reasons, and the Democrats will come away as the only party at the table that gives a damn about America’s gun violence epidemic.
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Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.
