Trump Loses Faith in NRA, Skips Convention for Second Year Running

Donald Trump has "lost faith" in the National Rifle Association, according to Bill Bachenberg, the gun group's first vice president and a Trump ally. Trump skipped the NRA's annual convention this year, marking his second straight absence from an event he used to attend regularly.

Bachenberg told fellow NRA board members that Trump was upset the organization didn't commit to doing more during the 2024 election campaign. The relationship between Trump and the NRA has grown tense, despite years of the gun group calling itself Trump's "strongest, most unflinching ally."

The NRA once wielded enormous political power, spending millions to help Republican candidates win elections. But the organization has faced financial troubles and internal scandals in recent years, weakening its influence.

Trump's absence from two straight NRA conventions signals a major shift. For decades, Republican presidential candidates made appearing at NRA events a top priority to court gun rights voters.