The president’s confused but open mind on guns
With California Sen. Dianne Feinstein sitting at his left, President Trump suggested last week that legislators could “add what you have” to a bipartisan gun control bill. What Feinstein has — what she has had since it expired in 2004 — is a revival of her 1994 assault weapons ban. Does she believe Trump will follow through? And what does she think of the state Democratic Party not endorsing her or her rival in the June primary?
What gun legislation would Trump support, as you understand it?
The most important thing I saw was an open mind, some receptivity to certain ideas. He said he thinks we should take the guns away before a court order, or before the process. It was a bit difficult to sort out, but I have hope.
He even, to some extent, rebuffed the National Rifle Assn.: “I don’t need the NRA, you [legislators] need the NRA,” or whatever he said.
And I thought, let’s see if this lasts. [Last Thursday] I gather he met with the NRA. And I guess he’s equivocating, although that’s not well defined. I’m hopeful he isn’t.
Some 300,000 teenagers have signed up to march in the [progun-control] march. Now, if teenagers are going to stand up and say, “we don’t want [unsafe] schools,” I think that’s very profound.
We’ve already seen remarkable change, like Walmart saying it will only sell guns to individuals age 21 and up. Dick’s Sporting Goods will not sell assault weapons and will no longer sell high-capacity magazines to anyone under 21. And you have Delta, United, Hertz and MetLife saying they will end partnerships to give NRA members preferred rates.
It seems that going up against the NRA requires almost a Nixon-to-China president — someone who has said in the past that he is an NRA supporter. Do you have faith that Trump could be that Nixon-to-China president?
Not at this time, I don’t. I mean, my eyes opened wide when I heard his support of certain things, sitting there in the room. And I handed him a letter, which he left on the table, outlining the strength of the assault weapons bill, and I gave it to Vice President Mike Pence, who promised me that he would hand it to the president. I have no idea whether he read it or not. But I had the distinct impression that he had an open mind.
We’re seeing millennials and Gen-Xers outvoting baby boomers. The Democratic electorate is changing. In California, it’s moving to the left. You saw that with the state Democratic Party’s decision not to endorse you.
Let me just say I never expected to be endorsed. What we tried to do was prevent an endorsement of my opponent, and I think we succeeded there. But I never expected to be endorsed. And my strength, if I have a strength, is in the general population. I think there’s a certain amount of pragmatism in the general electorate. They listen. They want people who can solve problems. I think I’ve shown that I can do that.
California seems to be in the crosshairs for this administration. The president said that if he withdrew Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, California would turn into a “crime nest.” How is he looking at California?
I don’t know how he looks at California. But I tell you this: We’re the sixth largest economy on earth; we’ve got the biggest ports, the largest consumer market in America, some of the best educational institutions in the world – I mean, it’s a powerhouse. And the president has to understand what he’s taking on. He’s not taking on a tiny state. He’s taking on a state that’s as big as a country.
And I think it’s pretty stupid to say, I’m going to have law-abiding people picked up [by ICE]. We welcome the gangbangers going — we make no case for the gangbangers — but people who have lived here for 20, 30 years, have children who are American citizens, who work and support themselves, own their homes, pay their taxes, should not be a priority for deportation. They should be the last resort.