Trump talks grievances, policy in return to D.C.
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Protesters demonstrate before Donald Trump meets with House Republicans Thursday on Capitol Hill. Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
Former President Donald Trump boasted about his polling in blue states and showered praise on House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) during his first visit to Capitol Hill since his supporters stormed the halls of Congress to protest his election defeat 3½ years ago.
Why it matters: Trump's visit was officially to discuss election and policy strategy, but it also symbolized his official return to Washington as the Republican Party's leader.
Zoom in: During his wide-ranging, rambling remarks to House Republicans, he spoke of personal and political grievances and laid out some policy goals.
- Those included a call for Republicans to talk about abortion "correctly" by emphasizing exceptions to any restrictions, according to sources in the meeting at the Capitol Hill Club.
- The presumptive GOP nominee for president heaped praise on loyalists such as Johnson, at one point encouraging Rep. Majorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) — a frequent critic of the speaker — to be nicer to him.
According to sources in the meeting, Trump also:
- Congratulated Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) — a Trump skeptic-turned-supporter — on her primary win.
- Noted that nearly all of the Republicans who voted in favor of impeaching him have since either retired or lost bids for re-election — a reminder of his aggressive demands for loyalty within the GOP.
- Claimed he was polling well in traditionally Democratic states such as New York, New Jersey and New Mexico, and said he was leading by a slim margin in Virginia.
- Claimed he would be tougher on Russia than President Biden, likely a reference to claims by Biden and Democrats that Trump has been a puppet for Russian President Vladimir Putin in opposing U.S. military aid for Ukraine.
Behind the scenes: In a comment sure to be mentioned again and again by Democrats during the next month, Trump called Milwaukee — the site of next month's Republican National Convention — a "horrible city," according to the sources.
- The GOP chose Milwaukee for its convention in part because Wisconsin is a key battleground state.
By the numbers: It's been 1,254 days since a mob of Trump's supporters waged a historic and deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, disrupting Congress' certification of the Electoral College ballots.
- Breaking from tradition, Trump skipped Biden's inauguration two weeks after the attack, and hadn't been back to Capitol Hill since the waning days of his presidency.
- The former president, also will be in Washington for a Business Roundtable event, planned to huddle with Senate Republicans later Thursday to discuss a "strategic governing agenda in 2025."
- Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who hasn't spoken to Trump since December 2020, has said he'll be at that meeting.
The big picture; Lawmakers billed the meetings with the ex-president as part of an effort to boost GOP ranks in Congress and help Trump get a jump on his policy agenda should he win back the White House in November.
- But Trump made clear in his remarks Thursday that securing his own re-election was at the forefront of his mind.
- Still, Trump already is plotting with Johnson (R-La.) to hit the ground running with an agenda that includes tax cuts and rolling back Biden-era energy policies.
- The former president plans to host Johnson and National Republican Congressional Committee chair Richard Hudson (R-N.C.) at his Mar-a-Lago resort next week.
The other side: Democrats greeted Trump with a new ad that accused him of trying to bring chaos and instability back to Washington, and with a mobile billboard that played video of the mob's attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6.
Editor's note; This story has been updated with additional reporting.
