Just two weeks ago, Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy declared Donald Trump guilty in the deadly attack on the American Capitol. By Thursday, he had asked for his political support.
A private meeting between the two men in Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort marked a remarkable turnaround in the former president’s status among elected Republicans. In the immediate aftermath of the uprising, Trump inspired, the idea that he would enjoy any form of kingship in his post-presidency seemed highly unlikely.
But after an initial wave of condemnation, Republicans seem to be warming up to Trump, and they are fully aware that his supporters are ready to punish someone who is unfaithful. With that in mind, party leaders are working to keep Trump in the herd while focusing on re-taking the House and Senate in 2022.
“United and ready to win in ’22,” McCarthy tweeted after their meeting. Both he and Trump have issued statements outlining the promise to work together to help Republicans regain control of the House and Senate in 2022.
The realignment with Trump comes as those who have crossed him continue to burn. Trump ally Matt Gaetz, R-Florida, spent the day in Wyoming trying to rep. To take down Liz Cheney, the no. 3 House Republican, who voted for Trump’s accusation. Amid the setback, Senate Republicans this week largely revealed that they have no plans to convict Trump.
While Trump is trying to exert influence, he is undeniably diminished.
Before inciting his supporters to storm the Capitol, Trump was expected to speak cheerfully to his post-presidency with Republican opponents, launching a Twitter offshoot of his successor and resuming a second term. to put the corridor. Now he is largely isolated and silenced by social media platforms while President Joe Biden tries to break down his executive order through executive order.
He has not been seen in public since disappearing behind the well-kept fences at Mar-a-Lago last Wednesday, half an hour before his presidency ended. He spends his days with assistants and lawyers as he prepares for his historic second indictment.
Things are very different now. Last time, Trump had an army of defenders that included a team of lawyers in Washington, a presidential communications store, a White House-funded White House office, and the steadfast support of top Republicans, including the Republican National Committee.
This time, Trump is still putting together a legal team, with the trial less than two weeks out.
“I think he has a significant disadvantage,” said Alan Dershowitz, a criminal defense attorney. He was part of Trump’s legal team in 2020, but is one of the long list of lawyers pronouncing this one.
Even the indictment, once seen as an opportunity for Senate Republicans to purge Trump of the party by withholding him from ever running again, is now being used as a rally to turn the party against Democrats. reunite. Instead of debating whether he was guilty of ‘willfully inciting violence against the United States government’, Republicans instead attacked the process, arguing that it was unconstitutional to try a president who had already left the White House. .
“At a time when our country needs to come together, Democrats in Congress are repeating the same strategy they have been using for the past four years: politically motivated overreaction that will only divide us further,” said Ronna McDaniel, chairwoman of the Republican National Committee. , said in a statement. which came after fierce internal divisions over whether the group should criticize Trump in public for inciting the riot.
In an interview, McDaniel declined to comment on the five Republican senators who voted this week to continue the trial. But she said: “It’s more important to look at the 45 who say it’s ridiculous.”
Aside from the trial, Trump gradually began to return to public discourse and fired press releases from the political committee he created before leaving the White House.
“He decompresses. He has a legal team he wants to organize, and he just has to keep doing what he does, “said Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a close ally of Congress who helped Trump form a legal team. set, said after numerous companies pulled.
“I think there’s an adjustment,” said Matt Schlapp, president of the American Conservative Union and another ally of Trump.
Jason Miller, an adviser to Trump, insisted it was “too early” to discuss the president’s indictment strategy and the post-presidential political operation that is expected to target former White House political director Brian Jack and Trump. will include former campaign manager Bill Stepien.
“We’ve had talks about where we want to be active in terms of the 2022 funds and how we can help Republicans win back the Senate and House,” Miller said, but Trump has yet to decide whether to join the primary races. will get involved. to challenge Republicans who voted to accuse him.
After members suffered intense backlash from Trump supporters, Senate Republicans on Tuesday voted overwhelmingly for an attempt to dismiss his second indictment.
“I think it’s pretty clear that Republican voters are stubbornly opposed to accusations and that Republicans who vote for accusations are doing so at their own risk,” Miller said.
Despite the Capitol riot, polls show that Trump is still very popular with Republican voters – many of whom now join him more than the party.
“It is not Trump who is trying to embrace them. “This is the Trump base that they are trying to embrace,” said Alex Conant, a Republican strategist. “I think Trump’s departure has left a huge vacuum. He was the one thing that united Republicans more than anything. I mean, the Republican Party became the Trump party for four years. And without him leading it, there’s an obvious power vacuum, and I think you’re seeing it play out in Congress now. ”
The question is whether Trump’s influence will continue to exist. The internal divisions that plague his team could ultimately undermine the party’s quest to recapture Congress. And it is unclear whether he can pass on his personal popularity to other candidates if he is not there. Republicans lost control of the House in 2018 and gave up the Senate this month, despite a final appeal from Trump.
Graham, who just declared this month that he’s done with Trump – ‘All I can say is count me out. Enough is enough. “- has since stressed the importance of keeping the party together.
“I want to make sure the Republican Party can grow and come back, and we will need Trump and Trump needs us,” he told reporters.
As for Republicans who vote to condemn Trump: “I think it depends on what state you are in and what stage in your career you are in,” he said.
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Associated Press authors Eric Tucker in Washington and Steve Peoples in New York contributed to this report.