House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy says former President Donald Trump on Thursday committed to helping Republicans retake Congress in 2022.
Trump met with McCarthy (R-Calif.) at his Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Florida — where Trump moved after leaving the White House on Jan. 20..
“Today, President Trump committed to helping elect Republicans in the House and Senate in 2022. A Republican majority will listen to our fellow Americans and solve the challenges facing our nation. Democrats, on the other hand, have only put forward an agenda that divides us — such as impeaching a President who is now a private citizen and destroying blue-collar energy jobs. For the sake of our country, the radical Democrat agenda must be stopped,” McCarthy said in a statement..
“House Republicans and the Trump administration achieved historic results for all Americans. We were able to do this because we listened to and understood the concerns of our fellow citizens that had long been ignored. As a result, House Republicans defied the experts and the media by expanding our growing coalition across the country,” McCarthy said.
A readout of the meeting from the ex-president’s office said: “President Trump’s popularity has never been stronger than it is today, and his endorsement means more than perhaps any endorsement at any time.”
Of McCarthy, the statement said, “They worked very well together in the last election and picked up at least 15 seats when most predicted it would be opposite. They will do so again, and the work has already started.”
The former president has been almost silent after leaving office. He faces a Senate impeachment trial in February for allegedly inciting the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, which resulted in five deaths and disrupted certification of President Biden’s victory.
Trump was permanently banned by Twitter after the riot and does not have control of his Facebook account, leaving him without the social media forums used to drive news throughout his four years in office.
In a speech to thousands before the Capitol riot, Trump called on his supporters to rid the Republican Party of politicians such as Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, with whom he clashed on withdrawing troops from Afghanistan and other countries.
Although Republicans initially recoiled from Trump after the riot, only 10 House Republicans including Cheney voted to impeach him. On Tuesday, 45 GOP senators voted not to proceed with Trump’s trial calling it unconstitutional.