Washington (Associated Press) Donald Trump He will make a triumphant return to Capitol Hill to meet with Republican members of the House and Senate, his first since sending rioters to “fight like hell” ahead of the presidential election. January 6, 2021 AttackRepublicans in Congress have been energized and galvanized by Trump’s attempt to retake the White House.
Despite the federal charges against Trump Plotting to overturn the results of the 2020 electionand his recent Guilty The Republican former president, who is not connected to the hush-money trial, emerged on Thursday in high spirits as the party’s presumptive nominee after successfully clearing the GOP of its critics, silencing most skeptics and attracting some of his former critics to his MAGA-based campaign.
“I am pleased to welcome President Trump back,” the House Speaker said. Mike Johnsonled one of the lawsuits challenging the 2020 election and had its biggest fundraising day to date since Trump’s felony conviction.
The Republican House speaker hesitated on whether he had asked Trump to promise he would respect the peaceful transfer of presidential power and not reissue the Jan. 6 executive order: “Obviously, he’s respected that and we’ve all respected that and we’ve talked about it ad nauseam.”
Trump is expected to address both groups at his House and Senate campaign headquarters near the U.S. Capitol and discuss the issues driving his campaign. Immigrant deportation But he is also considering tax cuts and other priorities for a possible second term.
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In the meantime, Trump is scheduled to speak at the Downtown Business Roundtable, where potential presidential nominees are regularly invited to speak to a group of executives. Many potential priorities for the new White House administration are being developed by outside groups, such as the White House for Policy and Economic Affairs. Project 2025These lay the groundwork for executive and legislative action, but President Trump has made clear he has his own plans.
But the private meeting with Republican members of the House and Senate just steps from the Capitol takes on a symbolic significance as Trump returns to the U.S. presidency, threatening the American tradition of the peaceful transfer of presidential power.
“It’s frustrating,” said a former U.S. Capitol Police officer. Harry DunnHe ran unsuccessfully for Congress as a Maryland Democrat in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 shooting that saw police engage in hand-to-hand combat to stop Trump supporters storming the building in an attempt to overturn the election results for President Joe Biden.
Dunn spoke of the “irony” of Trump returning to the region and lawmakers welcoming him. “It just shows they have no guts when they really are putting party and personalities above country,” he said. “It’s sad.”
Many people Once stood up With Trump’s predecessors long gone from office, remaining Republicans seem increasingly enthusiastic about the possibility of him retaking the White House and the down-ballot windfall that would give Republicans majorities in Congress.
Johnson met with senators on Wednesday as Republicans consider potential priorities ahead of Trump’s arrival.
Outgoing Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell previously called the “disgraceful” attack an “insurrection” and condemned President Trump. Now I support “Of course I will attend the meeting,” the party’s presumptive nominee said.
Senator John Thune, the Republican leader vying to succeed McConnell as party leader, told The Associated Press that he wanted to hear from Trump about the fall elections and “ways that we as a team and Mr. Trump personally can appeal to voters and people who might not traditionally vote Republican.”
“I think we have a chance to win something really big,” Toon said.
As democracies around the world come under threat from a shift towards the far-right, experts warn that the U.S. system, once seemingly immune to authoritarian impulses, is now at risk from the rise of populist and extremist forces like those inspired by President Donald Trump and those who plotted to storm the Capitol.
“This is just another example of House Republicans caving in to Donald Trump,” said Rep. Pete Aguilar of California, chairman of the House Democratic Caucus.
Trump has made Jan. 6 a cornerstone of his reelection campaign, praising the Capitol attackers as “warriors” and “patriots” and vowing to pardon any of the more than 1,300 Americans convicted in the attack on the heart of U.S. democracy.
Trump has also vowed to retaliate by ousting officials from the Department of Justice who are prosecuting him in a separate case over the overturning of the election results and the storage of classified documents at his Mar-a-Largo estate ahead of the January 6 attack.
Republicans, especially House members and even Senate members, are actively following his lead in calling out an unfair justice system. The House of Representatives has voted to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress and is re-examining the House committees that conducted the investigation on January 6th.
After a jury convicted Trump in the New York hush-money case, Republican campaign organizations in the House and Senate, along with Trump, recorded their highest fundraising periods ever.
When former Republican Chairman Paul Ryan reiterated on Fox News this week that he would not vote for Trump and said he wanted Republicans to have another choice for president, he was swiftly ostracized by Trump’s allies.
“Paul Ryan, you’re the worst,” said Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas. “You should be kicked out of the party.”
Only a handful of the Republican lawmakers who voted to impeach Trump on January 6 and convict him of inciting insurrection remain in office.
Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) are not expected to attend Thursday’s closed-door meeting with Trump.
But Republican Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana said he expected they would have to work together because Trump is the next president, and he would likely attend a meeting with Trump at a Republican senator’s campaign headquarters.
Asked if he was concerned about the direction of the Trump Republican Party, Cassidy said, “You have enough worries for the day. If you’re consumed with worry about tomorrow, is that going to change anything? No.”
Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, who has at times clashed with Trump but did not join in convicting him in the Capitol attack, said he did not expect the meeting to become contentious as Republicans hope to take back the Senate majority this fall.
“Look, we have to win, and our ability to win the Senate is essentially dependent on Trump winning. So we’re one team, one vision. And I think that’s what we’ll primarily be talking about,” Tillis said.
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Associated Press writers Jill Colvin and Mary Claire Jalonick contributed to this report.
