Steve Bannon said it’s simply not politically viable for President Trump to change his position on gun control following the mass shooting in Las Vegas.
“Impossible: will be the end of everything,” Bannon told Axios’ Jonathan Swan, regarding the prospect of Trump pushing for stricter gun control.
Bannon, who recently left his post as chief strategist at the White House and returned to Breitbart News, argued that a shift in Trump’s second amendment stance would have a devastating impact on his support from his base. The move would generate a “worse” reaction from his base than a move to support an amnesty immigration bill, Bannon said.
Bannon’s statements come one day after 64-year-old Stephen Paddock opened fire on a crowd of concert goers from the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, killing 59 and injuring more than 500. Paddock killed himself as SWAT officers breached his hotel room. Officers found an arsenal of 23 firearms in the hotel room, including two scoped rifles mounted on tripods and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.
Democrats began calling for increased gun control Monday morning as details of the attack were only just becoming clear. The White House shut down all inquiries related to gun control regulations during Monday’s press conference. Sarah Huckabee Sanders praised the heroism displayed by the concert goers and sternly told reporters that it was not the time to discuss policy.
Trump referred to the attack as an “act of pure evil,” and pledged to visit Las Vegas Wednesday. “In moments of tragedy and horror, America comes together as one,” he said Monday in a short address at the White House.
WATCH SARAH PRESS SECRETARY SANDERS DISCUSS GUN CONTROL:
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