Trump Courting Republican Lawmakers in Washington
Donald Trump is set to return to Washington on Thursday to seek support from Republican lawmakers and the business community after his recent criminal conviction in New York.
The former president, who is running for office again to challenge Joe Biden in the upcoming election, will meet separately with House members at a private club near the U.S. Capitol and with senators at their campaign headquarters. He will also address a group of CEOs.
A spokesperson for House Speaker Mike Johnson said, “The speaker and House GOP leadership are excited to host President Trump on Thursday morning to discuss expanding the House Republican majority and the 2025 legislative agenda.”
This will be Trump’s first meeting with lawmakers on Capitol Hill since leaving the White House in 2021 and his first visit to Washington since his conviction in New York in May on all 34 felony counts.
Since the guilty verdicts, the Republican party has rallied around Trump, criticizing a justice system they believe is biased against conservatives.
House Republicans are facing a tough battle to regain the lower chamber from the Democrats in the upcoming elections, with tight races expected at both the presidential and congressional levels.
Senate Republicans are more optimistic, confident that they can flip their minority status in the upper chamber.
While some centrist senators have not confirmed their attendance for Thursday’s meeting, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who criticized Trump after the 2021 insurrection, has stated that he will be there.
Thursday’s events are anticipated to focus on boosting morale and ensuring unity within the party ahead of the election, rather than specific policy discussions.
Trump may be asked about his plans to extend tax cuts, immigration policies, and his stance on the conflict in Ukraine during the meetings.
The former president will also present his case for a White House comeback to chief executives at a meeting organized by the Business Roundtable in Washington.
According to a source familiar with Trump’s expected remarks, he is likely to highlight his proposal to reduce inflation and reverse what he refers to as anti-business regulations implemented by President Biden.
An election forecast model released by The Economist on Wednesday gives Trump a 2-in-3 chance of winning reelection, a significant change from four years ago when Biden was favored to win.
