President Trump spoke to another Democratic senator about moving forward on legislation regarding background checks in the aftermath of two mass shootings in Dayton and El Paso.
Speaking with reporters before heading to a rally in Pennsylvania, Trump said he spoke with Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) about next steps.
“We had a very good conversation. We’ll see what happens,” Trump said Tuesday.
Murphy confirmed that he had spoken with Trump, along with Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), in recent days on the topic of possible background check bills.
“We continue to work to find common ground, but as I told the President, we can’t get a bill if he and the GOP give the gun lobby veto power,” Murphy tweeted of their discussion.
Murphy has been a major gun control advocate since the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre claimed the lives of 20 children and six others in his home state.
Trump, a staunch NRA defender, has become more willing to support legislation requiring background checks for firearm purchases following the two deadly mass shootings in recent weeks.
The president spoke to Manchin last week, according to the Washington Post, and privately said he wanted a bill drafted before September, when the Senate returns from recess.
Trump’s daughter and White House senior adviser Ivanka Trump has also been quietly speaking to lawmakers about potential gun control legislation.
An aide for Manchin confirmed to The Post that Ivanka had reached out to the senator after Axios reported that she had been speaking to lawmakers while “trying to get a sense of what [gun reform] bills are out there.”
Neither the president nor his eldest daughter has staked out an official position on the proposals, but Manchin and Toomey have said President Trump offered support for passing some type of legislation.