Trump After Dark: Taking Stock edition

President Donald Trump is struggling to find a middle ground reaction to last week’s school shooting in Florida — a step that shows he understands the gravity of the situation but actions that don’t rile his pro-gun base.

That’s a difficult balance, as POLITICO’s Eliana Johnson and Rachael Bade report .


“It will be a high-wire act for the president in the best-case scenario: Pacifying gun-control advocates without stirring up his core supporters. Even if he manages to pull it off — gun-control advocates will never be satisfied with the background checks bill the White House is getting behind — he’ll have to contend with Republicans in Congress who want to loosen gun control laws, not strengthen them.”

Trump has settled on one concrete step: Calling for Attorney General Jeff Sessions to work the Justice Department to make so-called “bump stocks” illegal. They weren’t involved with the shooting in Parkland, Florida but were in a mass-shooting last year in Las Vegas.

Overall, the issue is difficult for Trump — in part because he’s been in different places at different times on the issue.

“Behind the scenes, top White House officials have been gauging whether House conservatives could support background check legislation that does not include their prized concealed-carry provision. They’ve also been reaching out to pro-gun groups to see what could earn their support.”

Elsewhere in President Trump’s orbit:

ANOTHER ONE: Special counsel Robert Mueller secured a guilty plea from Alex van der Zwaan, 33, a Dutch citizen who worked in London for the law firm Skadden Arps for lying to the FBI in connection with its investigation of Paul Manafort.

HANDLE WITH CARE: Despite declaring the law dead, the Trump administration has been actively seeking millions of dollars in fines from Obamacare.

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NOKO NOGO: Vice President Mike Pence was set to have a meeting with North Korean leaders when he attended Olympic events in South Korea, the Washington Post reported — but the meeting was canceled at the last minute by North Korea.

KUSH JOB: While there’s speculation about whether he’ll get full security clearance, the White House said that Jared Kushner’s work status would not change.

CHARM OFFENSIVE?: President Trump’s decision to attend the Gridiron Club dinner may be a conciliatory gesture toward the press.

DUN-KNOW: Though President Trump said he had consulted with his generals ahead of time Gen. Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, emailed other military leaders that Trump’s announcement of a ban of transgendered service members came as a “surprise.” (BuzzFeed)

There you have it. You’re caught up on the Trump administration. Tuesday is a wrap.

