David Hogg, in an interview with BuzzFeed News on Tuesday, said that he regrets not attending the White House listening session following the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and that he would “love” to speak to the president.
“I would love to speak to him at this point,” the March for Our Lives activist said.
The White House didn’t immediately respond to BuzzFeed News’ request for comment.
Over the summer, Hogg, along with a coalition of anti–gun violence activists from across the country, embarked on a nationwide tour called “Road to Change” to register young voters and to engage with those who disagree with their activism around gun violence. The activist told BuzzFeed News on Wednesday that this experience was part of the reason why he now wishes to speak with Trump.
“I’ve learned over the course of traveling the country how to directly address the issues with the dissenting opinions on our policy and I would welcome the opportunity to tell the president to his face how he could save lives,” Hogg said.
Hogg said that he wants to speak to the administration to discuss March for Our Lives’ 10-point plan, which includes funding for gun violence research and universal background checks.
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said in June that the school safety commission, created by the administration following the shooting in Parkland, Florida, will not focus on the role guns play in campus violence.
Hogg was invited to attend Trump’s “listening session” following the shooting, but hung up on the White House, he said on Bill Maher’s HBO show in March.
“I ended on this message with them — I said, we don’t need to listen to President Trump. President Trump needs to listen to the screams of the children and the screams of this nation,” Hogg said.
A number of people from the Florida high school attended the session, including a dad whose 18-year-old daughter, Meadow Pollack, died in the massacre. “How many schools, how many children have to get shot?” Andrew Pollack asked during the emotional meeting. “It stops here with this administration and me.”
Hogg said that he was “so emotional” after the massacre at his school, and that he now regrets not attending the listening session. On Bill Maher's show in March, he said the call was “very offensive considering the fact that there were funerals the next day; there was mourning we still had to do.”
Most recently, March for Our Lives partnered with mayors across the country to make it easier for young people to register to vote. Hogg told BuzzFeed News on Tuesday that the group has a plan, to be announced soon, that will encourage people to show up to the polls on Election Day.
So far, Hogg said, the group has registered roughly 30,000 people since creating their QR-code merch, which directs people to the March for Our Lives website when scanned.