Most of the RNC’s spring retreat took place a 10-minute drive south of Trump’s club in Palm Beach’s Four Seasons resort. There were about 360 donors at the beach hotel mingling with Republican officials, including chair Ronna McDaniel, and co-chair Tommy Hicks, at the pool. But on Saturday night, guests will transport the road to Mar-a-Lago, where Trump will address the retreat behind closed doors.
With the party completely out of control in Washington for the first time in four years, IDP donors are eager to hear from leaders how Republicans can win back the House and Senate in 2022 and the White House in 2024. But the question of how a major role that Trump will and should play in the GOP future.
For the former president’s boosters, the weekend is another clear example that the party remains loyal to Trump.
“Saturday’s speech will be welcomed with words to Republican donors visiting Mar-a-Lago to hear directly from President Trump,” said Jason Miller, a senior adviser to Trump. “Palm Beach is the new center of political power, and President Trump is the Republican Party’s best messenger.”
Trump dominated the refuge even before his leader on Saturday. The possibility of him running for president again in 2024 remains a difficult reality for Republicans who are also considering the bid and trying to address relations with political benefactors.
Although the Palm Beach location was a convenience concession for Trump, the presence of other hopeful Republican White House was intended to indicate the RNC’s official policy regarding the 2024 primary.
The potential candidates include three of Florida’s top-elected officials: Gov. Ron DeSantis and Sens. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott. The government of South Dakota, Kristi Noem, and Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas, who may both be eligible for president, also spoke during the withdrawal.
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who has made moves indicating a White House election, would appear but did not appear.
Most of the donors who attended the retreat were both die-hard Trump supporters – one was spotted on Friday as they dressed for the Four Seasons pool deck with a blue “Make America Great Again” cap, and loyal Republicans who wanted the party build up.
This effort is more complicated for the significant number of GOP donors who are not so in love with Trump, but want to help the party regain power in Washington.
“No one knows what the Trump effect will be in 2022 or 2024. He has promised the primary parties (Republicans who do not support him), so a large number of them do not want to risk it,” Fred Zeidman said. A Republican donor from Texas who was not in Palm Beach. “He did not make a statement about the fact that he would not participate in 2024, so limit what anyone can do now for fear of alienating Trump supporters.”
The special guest list for the retreat in the closed press, obtained by CNN, shows a slate of speakers in Trump’s Republican Party camp, including House minority leader Kevin McCarthy. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, and former assistant to Trump White House Kellyanne Conway.
Former United States Secretary of State Chad Wolf and two U.S. Senate nominees for the U.S. Senate in Ohio, Jane Timken and Josh Mandel, both award their pro-Trump credentials.
CNN’s Jamie Gangel contributed to this report.