Several Republican lawmakers who were present at the closed-door meeting on Thursday said that House Republicans were led by former president Donald Trump, who vented frustrations about his electoral and legal challenges, attacked his critics, and briefed the group solely on policy issues like taxes and abortion.
The former president met with parliamentarians for more than an hour during his first visit to the Capitol campus area since stepping down following the violence on January 6, 2021.
Trump advised Republicans not to be scared of the controversial issue of abortion while ranting about Taylor Swift and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. He also attacked his critics, including those who have since lost their seats as well as others who were present.
The former president seems to be taking pleasure in the fact that his party is now completely behind him. Trump boasted about how most of the 10 Republicans who voted to impeach him are no longer in office, specifically mentioning one of the two remaining Republicans in Congress, California’s Rep. David Valadao.
Trump reportedly told a GOP member, “I never loved him” when asked about Valadao.
Several Republicans in the House are currently engaged in heated primary campaigns; the former president expressed an interest in holding tele-town halls but admitted that some would be reluctant to accept his assistance because he had backed their opponents.
Trump did not sugarcoat the animosity between House Speaker Mike Johnson and Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who attempted to remove Johnson against Trump’s desires but was unsuccessful. In a lighthearted request, the former president urged Greene, an ally he wholeheartedly backs, to treat the speaker with kindness.
“He’s always so kind when he sees me; today he asked, ‘Are you being courteous to Speaker Johnson?'” Joking, he said. ‘Eh,’ I replied, my hand gestures conveying my disapproval. “He told me to be nice to him, and I just nodded,” she continued.
Following the encounter, Johnson stated that the former president had complimented him on his work and assured him that he would be “fully prepared” to carry out Trump’s agenda in the event of his victory in November.
On Thursday, the meeting was also overshadowed by the former president’s conviction.
In the wake of the guilty conviction, Trump’s congressional friends wasted no time getting to work, suggesting measures to defund the DOJ and possibly even shut down the government. Attorney General Merrick Garland was found guilty of contempt of Congress by a vote of the House Republicans on Wednesday. And Republican leaders are already seeking a plan that would grant the power to the president and any president-in-waiting to transfer cases from state to federal court. On the eve of Trump’s Capitol Hill visit and two weeks after his conviction, GOP leaders have only just begun formally whipping the bill, despite the fact that it cleared out of committee last September.
Somebody else in the room said that Trump referred to the Department of Justice as “dirty no good bastards” during his meeting with GOP members.
According to Oklahoma Republican Kevin Hern, the former president voiced his “gravely concerned” about the weaponization of the federal government.
Following the meeting, House Majority Whip Tom Emmer addressed a press conference, stating that the former president’s felony convictions have rather galvanized the party, which will ultimately lead to their triumph in November.
“Anyone who believed this president would be depressed following the phony trial, following that corrupt trial that we witnessed in New York, I believe, once more, it has only served to invigorate him,” Emmer remarked. He showed us that energy and that bright attitude upstairs, despite all the rubbish they’ve been throwing at him with their lawfare and their bullshit. That’s what he did for us recently.
On the topic of abortion, Trump advises Republican senators to “follow your own heart.”
Before the election in November, Trump delivered a clear message to House Republicans on their stance on abortion, a contentious subject for Republicans since the Roe v. Wade decision.
“Exercise your own conscience to talk about it, share your conviction, and do that in a way that makes sense to people,” Trump reportedly urged the group, according to Johnson. Plus, I agree with him that he had a valid argument.
Sources in the room said that Trump told Republicans to not be scared of the issue and that Democrats are the most extremist on the subject while speaking in a low voice. Republicans, he said, should act on their beliefs, but he warned them against politicizing the issue and pushed for exceptions.
The crimes of rape, incest, and mother’s life were among those he advocated for and spoke out against. Republican Representative Nancy Mace told AWN that he spoke about how we should talk about it (his words, not mine). In my role as a suburban mother, I found his remarks to be very insightful.
Also, Trump brought up the fact that the states were finally given the decision-making power they had always desired thanks to Roe v. Wade, even though he did point out that some states made “not so good” choices.
“But like Ronald Reagan, you have to have three choices: life of mother, rape and incest, but you have to follow your own heart,” Trump reportedly stated.
The Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the FDA’s approach to regulating the abortion drug mifepristone and allow its continued mailing to patients without a doctor’s visit occurred simultaneously with Trump’s statement.
In addition to a number of other agenda items, the former president failed to implement his plans to expand the southern border, reduce taxes on tips, and block additional help for Ukraine, despite the fact that certain members of his party are in favor of this policy.