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A vice president of the NRA wrote a letter stating that Donald J. Trump has lost confidence in the organization. The letter emphasized the need for the NRA to regain trust with Trump and his close advisors.
Authored by Danny Hakim
The National Rifle Association’s top official stated in a recent letter to board members that President-elect Donald J. Trump no longer has confidence in the organization. The official believes that the N.R.A. needs to come together and strategize in order to support the Republican Party’s advantage in Congress during the 2026 midterm elections.
During a meeting with fellow board members, Bill Bachenberg, the first vice president of the group and a strong supporter of Trump, mentioned that Trump was unhappy with the NRA for not doing enough to support his election campaign. Bachenberg also noted that Trump was surprised to learn that the NRA was paying millions of dollars annually to lawyer William A. Brewer III, who has historically supported Democratic political candidates with his donations. This conversation took place at the group’s annual conference in May.
Mr. Bachenberg stated in a recent letter, co-signed by Mark Vaughan, that President Trump and his closest advisors no longer trust the N.R.A. He mentioned that he communicates with them regularly and emphasized the need to regain their trust, as well as that of the organization’s members and donors.
When asked for a comment, Karoline Leavitt, who is a spokesperson for the Trump-Vance transition, replied with a general statement. She emphasized that President Trump supports the idea that all Americans have the inherent right to protect themselves and their loved ones. Additionally, she mentioned that he is committed to standing up for gun owners who abide by the law.
The letter shows that the N.R.A.’s political power has decreased. They used to be a strong lobbying group in Washington, but have been struggling due to scandals and corruption accusations. The organization is split between those loyal to former CEO Wayne LaPierre and another group, led by Mr. Bachenberg, who want to distance themselves from LaPierre’s controversial past.
Doug Hamlin, the newly appointed CEO of the National Rifle Association (NRA), mentioned in a statement that due to the organization’s significant spending to protect itself in a legal case brought by Letitia James, the Attorney General of New York, they will need to focus their efforts strategically in the upcoming 2024 election.
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