The Republican Party will invite former President Donald Trump to address its Spring meeting, which also serves as a gathering for...
The Republican Party will invite former President Donald Trump to address its Spring meeting, which also serves as a gathering for high-dollar donors and potential 2024 presidential candidates.
The meeting, hosted by the Republican National Committee, will be held in Palm Beach, Fla., April 9-11, Politico reported.
Trump is camped out at his Mar-a-Lago residency as he plots his post-presidency moves and prepares his defense in his upcoming impeachment trial.
He has yet to make a public appearance since he left the White House on January 20th but he has made trips from his Palm Beach club to his Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach.
Trump also is mulling another presidential bid himself although that could be determined by his impeachment trial. If convicted, he could be barred from ever holding federal office again.
He's also weighing whether to launch a third political party, the Patriot Party, which could fracture Republicans permanently.
Republican Party will invite former Donald Trump to address its Spring meeting in Palm Beach in April, several major donor and potential 2024 president candidates will attend
But if he does try for the Oval Office again, the party will stay neutral, RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said.
'The party has to stay neutral. I'm not telling anybody to run or not to run in 2024,' McDaniel told The Associated Press when asked whether she wanted to see Trump run again in the next presidential election. 'That's going to be up to those candidates going forward. What I really do want to see him do, though, is help us win back majorities in 2022.'
And she told The Washington Post Trump's role 'is going to be up to him in a lot of ways.'
'I'm not looking at who we can highlight or prioritize. It's about where we can take our party and our message going forward,' she noted.
Republicans remained divided over the former president and whether he is or should be the leader of their party. The upcoming Senate trial has not eased tensions.
Trump's loyal base of supporters stands by him though and could be a powerful force in future GOP primaries. But some Republicans acknowledge that Trump's controversial behavior has alienated some voting blocs the GOP needs to win future elections.
Trump, himself, is working to cement his power as leader of the Republicans.
He met Republican House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy at Mar-a-Lago Thursday – then released a statement boasting about his own power and influence in the party.
The former president was seen officially for the first time in a photograph released by his political action committee, having been banned from social media.
A readout of the meeting from Save America PAC said: 'President Trump's popularity has never been stronger than it is today, and his endorsement means more than perhaps any endorsement at any time.'
The statement makes it clear Trump sees his future role in the GOP as party kingmaker.
It is also a veiled threat to any Republican who has voted to impeach him, or any senator who may vote to convict, that he will use his power in revenge.
Donald Trump's team released the first official photo of him since leaving office as he met with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy at Mar-a-Lago on Thursday
A readout of the meeting insists: 'President Trump's popularity has never been stronger than it is today, and his endorsement means more than perhaps any endorsement at any time'
But to those like Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell who had hoped to see the back of Trump thanks to his defeat it was a clear message that he is not going away.
McCarthy became the first Republican leader to make the trip to Mar-a-Lago as his own caucus faced civil war over impeachment.
The statement said that Trump committed to the House minority leader that he will help Republicans win back a majority in the lower chamber of Congress.
'They worked very well together in the last election and picked up at least 15 seats when most predicted it would be opposite,' the statement continued. 'They will do so again, and the work has already started.'
Following the meeting, McCarthy released a statement calling on Republicans to band together against the 'radical Democrat agenda.'
'Today, President Trump committed to helping elect Republicans in the House and Senate in 2022,' McCarthy said. 'A Republican majority will listen to our fellow Americans and solve the challenges facing our nation.'
He continued: 'Democrats, on the other hand, have only put forward an agenda that divides us -- such as impeaching a President who is now a private citizen and destroying blue-collar energy jobs. For the sake of our country, the radical Democrat agenda must be stopped.'
News of the meeting first emerged after reports revealed Trump called McCarthy a 'p***y' for giving in and placing any blame on him for having a role in the January 6 Capitol storming.
Trump has been pictured traveling between Mar-a-Lago and his West Palm Beach golf course and hitting the links on several occasions since departing Washington
Trump was spotted Wednesday in Florida when returning to his Mar-a-Lago resort after a round of golf
McCarthy was in South Florida for donor meetings and made sure to visit with the former president while down there.
The ex-president was angry at McCarthy for his speech on the floor before Trump was impeached for a second time by the House of Representatives on January 13.
McCarthy voted against Trump's impeachment, but told lawmakers that the 'president is free from fault.'
'The president bears responsibility for Wednesday's attack on Congress by mob rioters,' McCarthy said. 'He should have immediately denounced the mob when he saw what was unfolding.'
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