In the wake of mass shootings in Ohio and Texas, candidates are road-testing a withering argument that draws a direct line between gun violence and the president’s racist rhetoric
DES MOINES — A Democratic presidential field that has struggled to precisely define its general election indictment of Donald Trump appears finally to have found it.
As they converged this past weekend in Iowa — a state with a robust gun culture and an affinity for the Republican president — the stinging case for gun control laid out by White House hopefuls had little in common with past appeals for additional regulation and much to do with the implications of Trump’s role in stoking violent white nationalism.
The pre-general election offensive against Trump serves as a departure from the primary’s infighting in recent weeks, as Democrats seize a collective opportunity to weaken the president.
Audience members wearing “Moms Demand Action” T-shirts listen to Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bennet on Saturday in Des Moines, Iowa. | Charlie Neibergall/AP PhotoDemocrats this year, more so than during the last presidential election, have been buoyed on gun control by gains in statehouses last year, by an internal weakening of the NRA and by a groundswell of youth activism following the school shooting in Parkland, Fla., in 2018.
Several Democrats are promising to take executive action on gun control if Congress does not pass stricter gun laws. Sen. Kamala Harris told POLITICO that while “history has shown us that these tragedies do not inspire Congress to have the courage to act … I also know that action can be taken. And I plan on taking it.”
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