Trump to NRA: ‘I am going to come through for you’

Reaffirms support for Second Amendment at group’s convention

ATLANTA -- On the eve of his 100th day in office, President Donald Trump made a triumphant return before members of the National Rifle Association, promising a group that was one of his earliest and most enthusiastic supporters that he will "never infringe on the right of the people to bear arms."

Trump, the first sitting president to address the NRA since Ronald Reagan, delivered a fiery speech in which he recounted his election victory and early actions from his administration that are friendly to the gun rights group, and he promised there would be more to come.

"You came through big for me, and I am going to come through for you," Trump told thousands of members attending the NRA's annual convention. "The eightyear assault on your Second Amendment freedoms has come to a crashing end. You have a true friend and champion in the White House."

With his appearance here, Trump marked the coming 100day milestone in much the same way he has governed in the early stages of his presidency: by appealing to his base.

The NRA claims 5 million members, including many white rural voters, a demographic that helped tip the electoral college in Trump's favor.

The association played a powerful role in Trump's election, providing critical support in battleground states. It spent more on behalf of Trump than any outside group and began its advertising and other efforts earlier than in any other presidential cycle.

In remarks before Trump spoke, NRA chief lobbyist Chris Cox recalled the group's endorsement at its convention last year, saying Trump was "the most proudly Second Amendment nominee in American history."

"On Election Day, NRA members and gun owners stormed to the polls in an act of sheer defiance of the elites," Cox said. "And on Inauguration Day, our candidate became our president."

Addressing the group Friday, Trump hailed his first Supreme Court pick, Justice Neil Gorsuch, who was embraced by the NRA, as well as several of his Cabinet selections.

He called Jeff Sessions "a proSecond Amendment, tough- oncrime attorney general" and touted a decision by his interior secretary, Ryan Zinke, to overturn a federal ban on hunting with lead ammunition in national parks and wildlife refuges.

While making general promises to stand with the NRA moving forward, Trump made no mention of two of the group's leading priorities in Congress.