Republicans in Florida have welcomed former President Trump – and his political activity – in the Sunshine States since he left office, calling him their ‘hometown president’.
The president, who has moved to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, has already established an official office to the presidency to oversee his affairs, and has already become the leader of the House of Representatives. GOP meets Kevin McCarthy – just 9 days after he left. the White House.
TRUMP MEETS WITH MCCARTHY IN FLORIDA TO PLAN TAKEOVER OF HOUSE GOP IN 2022
And Republicans in Florida welcome the activity, saying the party “will be fueled by moving Donald Trump forward.”
“When he wants an opportunity, we’ll set up an event around him,” Christian Ziegler, vice president of the Florida Republican Party, told the Orlando Sentinel. ‘If he wants to pay a visit to the state, we will facilitate it. This is his party. ‘
He added: “He is our hometown president.”
Ziegler’s remark comes just after Trump met with McCarthy, R-California, in Mar-a-Lago, where the two agreed to work together with Republicans taking back the House in 2022.
Meanwhile, the chairman of the Republican Party of Palm Beach County, Michael Barnett, told the Sentinel that there are expected to be hundreds of members of the Republican Party at the GOP’s annual Lincoln Day dinner in Palm Beach County in April. Barnett told the Sentinel he hopes Trump will attend.
“If he’s available, I hope he’s come down from the residence, say hello and talk a little bit,” Barnett told The Sentinel.
McCarthy, who once said Trump “bears responsibility” for the deadly January 6 Capitol riots, reunites with Trump in Florida for a “very good and heartfelt” meeting where McCarthy welcomed Trump’s support for the GOP candidates to promote House in the next election, according to a reading of Trump’s team.
“President Trump has agreed to work with leader McCarthy to help the Republican Party become a majority in the House,” according to a statement from the Trump-American Save America PAC. “They worked very well together in the last election and chose at least 15 seats when most predicted it would be the opposite. They will do it again, and the work has already begun.”
McCarthy welcomes Trump’s commitment to elect Republicans in the House and Senate.
“For the sake of our country, the radical democratic agenda must be stopped,” McCarthy said in a statement. “A united conservative movement will strengthen the bonds of our citizens and uphold the freedoms on which our country is founded.”
An assistant familiar with the meeting told Fox News that the meeting is important to advance the IDP.
“They are catching up as McCarthy will be in the area,” the assistant told Fox News. “They have had good conditions for a while, and that will be important for the party moving forward.”
TRUMP CREATES ‘OFFICE OF THE HOURS PRESIDENT’ IN FLORIDA
The Palm Beach Confabre was arranged after Trump’s team heard that the GOP leader was fundraising in Florida as part of his effort to replace Nancy Pelosi as speaker of the House after the 2022 election. Trump’s team took McCarthy to Mar -a-lago invited and McCarthy rearranged his schedule to attend, Fox News has learned.
Trump’s team warned the media at the meeting, sources told Fox. Trump was relatively quiet after the January 6 riot, resulting in accusations and the loss of his social media platform on Twitter.
McCarthy believes everyone should talk rather than go into their corners, and that includes talking to the Biden administration, sources told Fox News.
Despite GOP losses in the Senate and the White House, Republicans defied expectations in the House by turning 13 seats from blue to red and winning a 14th seat in Michigan held by outgoing Libertarian Justin Amash.
Republicans could potentially take a 15th seat in New York in a race between Republican Claudia Tenney and Democrat Anthony Brindisi that has yet to be decided. Democrats currently have a narrow 221-211 lead in the House with three vacancies, which puts the IDP in a good position to take seats during the interim periods, traditionally preferring the party opposing the sitting president.
Trump’s indictment begins the week of Feb. 8 in the Senate.
Meanwhile, a statement from Trump’s office said the former president’s office would be responsible for his “correspondence, public statements, appearances and official activities.”
“The office will also” advance the interests of the United States and … continue on the Trump administration’s agenda through advocacy, organization, and public activism. “
Speculation about Trump’s post-presidency ranges from him possibly starting his media company for a second term until 2024.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Senior adviser Jason Miller of Trump’s 2020 campaign, Jason Sunday, ruled out the possibility that Trump could run on a third-party ticket in the future election, saying his immediate focus is on helping Republicans get the House and the Senate to win back in the 2022 midterm period.
Fox News’ Marisa Schultz, Dana Perino, Mike Emanuel and The Associated Press contributed to this report.