'I am going to come through for you,' Trump vows

President tells NRA he will stand with gun rights group.

On the eve of his ATLANTA — 100th day in office, President Donald Trump made a triumphant return before members of the National Rifle Association, promis- ing 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 mem- bers attending the NRA’s annual convention. “The eight-year assault on your Second Amendment free- doms 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 100-day 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 associa- tion played a powerful role in Trump’s election, provid- ing critical support in battleground states. It spent more on behalf of Trump than any other 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 Amend- ment 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, 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 pro-Second Amendment, tough-on-crime 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.