Transition of power to
Transition of power
Trump’s period
Prom
Backed by
A vice president of the N.R.A. stated in a letter that Donald J. Trump has lost confidence in the organization and they must work on rebuilding trust with him and his close advisers.
Written by Danny Hakim
The National Rifle Association’s top official stated that President-elect Donald J. Trump no longer has confidence in the organization. They emphasized in a recent letter to board members the need for the N.R.A. to regroup in order to support the Republican Party’s advantage in Congress during the 2026 midterm elections.
During a meeting with board members, Bill Bachenberg, the group’s first vice president and a strong supporter of Trump, mentioned that Trump was disappointed that the NRA had not done more 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 a history of donating to Democratic candidates. This conversation took place at the NRA’s annual conference in May.
Mr. Bachenberg stated in a letter co-signed by Mark Vaughan that President Trump and his closest advisors no longer trust the N.R.A. He mentioned that he regularly speaks with them 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, a spokesperson for the Trump-Vance transition, gave a general response. She stated that President Trump supports the belief that every American has a natural right to defend themselves and their family, and he will support those who follow the law when it comes to owning guns.
The letter shows that the N.R.A.’s political power has decreased. It used to be a powerful lobbying group in Washington, but scandals and allegations of corruption have weakened it. There are now two factions within the group – one that supports former CEO Wayne LaPierre and another, led by Mr. Bachenberg, that wants to distance themselves from LaPierre’s controversial past.
The newly appointed CEO of the N.R.A., Doug Hamlin, mentioned in a statement that due to the organization’s significant spending to protect itself in a lawsuit filed by Letitia James, the Attorney General of New York, they will need to focus their efforts strategically in the upcoming 2024 election.
We are currently experiencing difficulties in accessing the content of the article.
To use this website’s full functionality, make sure to activate
We appreciate your understanding as we confirm your access. If you are currently using Reader mode, please close it and sign in to your Times account, or consider subscribing to access all of The Times content.
We appreciate your understanding as we confirm your access.
Have you already signed up for a subscription? If so,
Interested in receiving full access to The Times? Consider subscribing today.
Prom
Index of the website
Navigation of information on the