Spurned Trump has 'lost faith' in NRA: report
President-elect Donald Trump and his inner circle have reportedly cooled on America's largest gun rights organization due to what he felt was a lack of support during his re-election campaign.
Bill Bachenberg, the NRA's first vice president, wrote in a letter last week that, "I can say for a fact that President Trump and his most inner circle have lost faith in the NRA," The New York Times reported on Wednesday evening.
He added: "I communicate with them often. We have a tremendous amount of work to rebuild trust with them, just like our members and donors."
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The Times called the letter just the latest piece of evidence that the NRA's political prowess has "diminished." The agency has been plagued by scandals in recent years, including allegations of corruption.
Bachenberg reportedly wrote in his letter that Trump has expressed anger that the group has paid tens of millions of dollars a year to a lawyer who has donated to Democrats.
Doug Hamlin, the group's new CEO, told the Times in a statement that the group had to be judicious in the candidates it supported this year following a costly legal battle in New York, where the attorney general filed a civil case against the NRA.
"Looking forward, 2025 represents the first time in years the NRA can focus on rebuilding," Hamlin said.