Traditionally, the Republican party has stood for free markets and against gun control.
Not anymore! Or, wait—maybe?
Donald Trump has sent a series of confusing and conflicting signals on the subjects in the last three weeks. Today, Republican spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany went on MSNBC and attempted to explain how Republicans "stand with the president" despite the fact that many Republicans clearly do not stand with the president.
Specifically, she made the argument that tariffs would help American workers and that new gun control measures including a ban on bump stocks and a suspension of habeas corpus when cops want to seize guns from possible mass shooters.
"They're strategic, they're measured," McEnany said of the Trump tariffs. "This is a long-awaited policy, this isn't something that Donald Trump just brought out of the dark."
"It's clear that on this issue in particular they're not standing behind the president," the host said.
"He signaled a change in our party, and one that Republican voters clearly loved and bought into," she said.
"But aren't we seeing Republicans buying into it? When we see [Republican US Senator from Nebraska] Ben Sasse calling this kooky 18th century protectionism, it doesn't sound like he's buying into that?"
"Ben Sasse was always a Never Trump Republican, we know that," she said.
Then it came time to talk about gun control. President Trump is a "vigorous," "strong supporter" of the Second Amendment. But explained what the Republican Party now thinks.
"What's the party position now on gun control now, in light of the variation we've seen in the last three weeks?" she said.
"Sixty-one percent of Republicans in that CNN poll support raising [the age of buying an assault rifle] to 21," she said. "So our voters stand exactly squarely with the president."
McEnany promised to meet the Parkland survivors. Which—well, it makes sense now that the spokesperson for the Republican party supports new gun control laws?
"That's what this party is about, that's what this president is about," she said.
Seems cool.
