MSNBC host Joe Scarborough on Thursday challenged President Trump Donald John TrumpBiden leads Trump by 36 points nationally among Latinos: poll Trump dismisses climate change role in fires, says Newsom needs to manage forest better Jimmy Kimmel hits Trump for rallies while hosting Emmy Awards MORE to "prove it" on not being afraid of the National Rifle Association (NRA) after Trump touted his independence from the gun lobby in a meeting this week.

Scarborough wrote in a Washington Post op-ed that Trump's recent shift on gun issues could be a "wise political move" given that many Americans now support tighter restrictions on firearms after the fatal shooting of 17 students and faculty at a Florida high school last month.

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The "Morning Joe" host and former GOP congressman pointed to Trump's accusation during a televised White House meeting on Wednesday that Sen. Pat Toomey Patrick (Pat) Joseph ToomeyAppeals court rules NSA's bulk phone data collection illegal Dunford withdraws from consideration to chair coronavirus oversight panel GOP senators push for quick, partial reopening of economy MORE (R-Pa.) was "afraid of the NRA." Trump said he was a "fan" of the NRA but wouldn't let the group get in the way of reforms.

My Latest—> Trump says he’s not afraid of Wayne LaPierre’s NRA Lobbyists. Now he must prove it. https://t.co/IUn3wBYG2N — Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) March 1, 2018

Trump stunned both Democrats and Republicans during the meeting by expressing his openness to a Democratic "wish list" of gun control proposals, including raising the age limit to purchase firearms from 18 to 21 and taking away guns from dangerous people.

"Maybe Trump is finally on to something," Scarborough wrote Thursday. "Maybe he will decide that this is the time for real progress on common-sense gun-safety legislation. ... But if he chooses instead to let his party continue to languish in fear, Republicans will just be giving Americans one more reason to vote them out of power."

The MSNBC host, a vocal critic of Trump, has previously called the president a "coward" for not acting on gun control after the school massacre in his home state last month, accusing him of being afraid of his Republican base.