President Trump may be waffling on his vow to boost background checks, after a talk with National Rifle Association boss Wayne LaPierre this week.

Please, Mr. President: Don’t. You’d be making a big mistake — for the nation as well as your reelection campaign.

Reports say that Trump told LaPierre “universal background checks” were “off the table,” and LaPierre was pleased.

According to a New York Times story Tuesday quoting White House sources, Trump assured LaPierre that “he was not interested in legislation establishing universal background checks and that his focus would be on the mental health of the gunmen, not their guns.”

The president himself argued that “we already have very serious background checks.” He said he didn’t “want to take away people’s Second Amendment rights.”

And over the weekend, he warned of gun control’s “slippery slope” and stressed the need to keep guns out of the hands of people who are unfit to own them.

All of which has drawn alarm and criticism from those worried he might backpedal on the promises he made after the El Paso and Dayton shootings.

“We cannot let those killed in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, die in vain,” he said back then. “Republicans and Democrats must come together and get strong background checks.”

Don’t give up on Trump yet: He did, after all, acknowledge “loopholes” in the current background-check system and insisted he’ll plug them: “I have an appetite for background checks,” he said, noting that he’s working with Democrats and Republicans to fill in “some of the loopholes.”

That’s encouraging, but the nation has heard promises on gun control before — only to be let down.

Let’s be honest: Background checks don’t come close to the exaggerated claim that Uncle Sam wants to take away people’s guns. Rather, they’re a sensible way to do what Trump says he wants to do — keep dangerous weapons from criminals and others who shouldn’t own guns. That’s why polls show deep public support for them.

LaPierre and his group oppose even the slightest gun restrictions so they can be seen as fierce warriors to their members (and donors). They are the ones who warn about the “slippery slope.”

But it’s an unreasonable fear. Besides, Trump should understand that the NRA doesn’t speak for most Americans — maybe not even most of his base.

He should also know this: If he backs off “meaningful” checks, he won’t just be doing the nation a disservice; as his own daughter, Ivanka, suggested, according to The Atlantic, he’ll be missing a chance to sign a “historic” document, and maybe win positive media attention for a change.

Surely Trump wouldn’t be opposed to that, right?