Trump to Return to Capitol Hill Thursday to Rally Lawmakers
WASHINGTON — Former President Donald Trump will be on Capitol Hill Thursday for separate meetings to rally House and Senate Republicans in the wake of his recent conviction in the New York hush-money trial while laying out his vision for a possible second term in the White House.
Trump’s visit to the nation’s capital on Thursday was initiated by Business Roundtable, one of the city’s most powerful business lobbying groups.
Earlier this spring the group, which counts the nation’s 200 chief executive officers among its members, included both Trump and President Joe Biden to attend its quarterly CEO meeting.
The former president, who has been trying to shore up an alliance with corporate America, readily accepted, but Biden had to pass, due to his commitment to participate in the G7 meeting later this week in Borgo Egnazia in the southern region of Puglia Italy.
White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients is slated to appear in his stead.
“We invited President Biden when he was a candidate in 2020, and we were pleased that he spoke with our members in March of 2022 after becoming president. We look forward to a discussion of policy issues with former President Trump next week, and hope that President Biden will be able to join us again in the future,” said Michael Steele, Business Roundtable’s senior vice president of communications, in a written statement.
The meeting is off the record and closed to the press, but a press release from the Trump campaign said the former president plans to participate in a moderated discussion, during which he’ll discuss “how he will restore prosperity to the American economy, like he did during his first term.”
Once word got out that Trump would be in town, Senate GOP Conference Chair John Barrasso, of Wyoming, and House Speaker Mike Johnson, of Louisiana, extended invitations for him to come and meet with lawmakers.
The sessions will be his first visit to Capitol Hill since his supporters ransacked the building and battled Capitol police there on Jan. 6, 2021.
Trump is scheduled to meet with the full House Republican Conference at 9:30 a.m. at the Capitol Hill Club, which is adjacent to the Republican National Committee’s headquarters on First Street, SE.
In the early afternoon, Trump will meet with Senate Republicans at a currently undisclosed location on the Hill, with the smart money betting it will be at the National Republican Senate Committee’s offices on 2nd St. NE.
Speaking with Maria Bartiromo on Fox Business Tuesday morning, Barrasso said the meeting with Trump comes at a critical time, with the general election now just five months away.
“When President Trump is reelected, and I believe he will be, we need to be ready … ready to secure the border, and ready to deal with the high prices, and ready to unleash American energy,” Barrasso said.
“People are tired of living in this world of Democrat-caused high prices and Democrat-caused open borders. We need to get the country back on track,” he continued. “So we’re going to visit with President Trump about making sure he gets elected and that Republicans are in the majority in the Senate, so we can help him accomplish the agenda.”
Barrasso also dismissed suggestions that Trump’s recent conviction will hurt him at the polls.
“The American people are thinking about what’s going on in their lives,” he said.
“It’s time for a change,” Barrasso added. “The American people want that and that’s what we’re going to be visiting with President Trump about on Thursday.”
Trump will be sentenced on July 11. The Republican convention starts just four days later, on July 15 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Dan can be reached at [email protected] and @DanMcCue
