Trump’s return to Washington comes amid a congressional investigation into the January 6, 2021 uprising sparked by his denial of the 2020 election results, and as the former president teases a third House bid White in 2024.
Trump is scheduled to speak Tuesday afternoon at the Marriott Marquis, where he will deliver the keynote address at a summit hosted by a nonprofit organization that could effectively become the engine of another Trump presidential campaign and political platform.
“He’s still the leader of the America First movement,” Marc Lotter, director of communications for the America First Policy Institute, told CNN over the weekend.
“He’s the biggest name. He’s the visionary behind many of the policies that got him elected to the White House,” Lotter said. “And when you look at what’s happening in America right now, a lot of people are clamoring for that kind of political leadership to come back. They want cheap gas, growing paychecks, rising stock markets and not what we have now.”
Trump’s speech is expected to focus on “law and order,” according to Trump spokesman Taylor Budowich.
“President Trump sees a nation in decline that is driven, in part, by rising crime and increasingly unsafe communities under Democratic policies,” Budowich said. “His remarks will highlight the policy failures of Democrats, while laying out an America First vision for public safety that is sure to be a defining issue in the midterms and beyond.”
Trump allies tell CNN they hope the former president will use the speech to look ahead and focus on setting a Republican agenda ahead of the midterms. As Trump has publicly teased a 2024 bid, aides and advisers have encouraged him to move on from the 2020 election and focus on policies they believe could return him to office, such as the economy, the school curriculum and crime.
So far, Trump has not changed course, instead using speeches to claim the 2020 election was rigged, criticizing Republicans he sees as disloyal and attacking the Select Committee investigating it on Jan. 6. A source close to Trump expressed frustration that the former president seemed unable to stop obsessing over the past, worried it would hurt his chances in a 2024 presidential campaign.
Trump’s trip to D.C. also underscores his dramatic split with former Vice President Mike Pence, whom Trump has publicly accused of refusing to try to override the will of voters by rejecting electoral votes in key states.
Pence has pushed back, saying earlier this year that “Trump is wrong” to claim he could overturn the results. In recent speeches, he has urged Republicans to put aside their gripes about 2020 and offer a forward-looking platform. Pence was scheduled to speak at the Heritage Foundation in DC on Monday, but that speech was postponed after his flight was diverted due to weather.
Trump has used his recent speeches to continue airing these grievances in 2020. His campaign appearances ahead of November’s midterm elections have focused on endorsements of candidates who have embraced his electoral denialism and campaigned to overturn the 2020 results and do more voting. difficult for future elections.
His speech Tuesday at the America First Policy Institute summit will follow appearances by a number of Trump’s Republican allies, including House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Sen. of Wisconsin Ron Johnson and South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, as well as South Carolina Sen. some of Trump’s former White House and campaign aides, including Kellyanne Conway.
“To give voice to this agenda, to present it for the mid-sessions of Congress and beyond, I think there is no one better than the former president to be able to do that,” Lotter told CNN on Sunday.
“What happens next is entirely up to the voters and the president and any other people who might be involved in the race,” he said. “But the one thing we know is the policies that have worked. And so what we’re focused on is setting that stage, setting that policy framework, to get back to winning policies. And President Trump remains one of the leaders . if not the biggest name, in this movement.”
CNN’s Kristen Holmes contributed to this report.