Donald Trump is heading back to Washington later this month for the first time since leaving office, Axios has learned. Why it matters: The planned visit by Trump on July 26 – to headline an event for the America First Policy Institute – occurs as the January 6 blockbuster committee hearings add to speculation that his hold on the Republican Party may be weakening.
A new poll shows that nearly 50 percent of the party’s core voters want a new GOP presidential candidate in 2024, with a growing number pledging to abandon him if he wins.
The House Select Committee hearings have been dominating headlines and cable news coverage as several former top Trump officials and aides have recounted explosive evidence linking the former president to the Capitol attack.
Driving the news: Trump will be giving the keynote address at 3 p.m. ET on the second day of the group’s policy summit, which will also include panel discussions and presentations by several top Republican leaders, including some former officials in the Trump administration, members of Congress, governors and state officials.
The event is by invitation only and is not open to the general public, but it will be live streamed and open to the press.
The group says it has not yet announced the exact location for safety reasons.
Details: America First Policy Institute is a 501(C)(3) nonprofit research institute run by senior Trump administration officials, including former National Economic Council director Larry Kudlow, former small business administrator Linda McMahon, and former Domestic Policy Council director Brooke Rollins.
The retreat is scheduled to focus on decreasing energy and gasoline prices, fighting inflation, and “controlling” children’s education, crime and the border, among other issues.
Expected participants and speakers include:
- Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich;
- 8 Former Cabinet-level officials:
– McMahon, Former Director of National Intelligence;
– Gen. Matt Whitaker, Former Acting Attorney;
– John Ratcliffe, Former U.S. Trade Representative;
– Robert Lighthizer, Former Secretary of Energy;
– Robert Wilkie, Former Secretary of Veterans Affairs;
– Chad Wolf, Former Secretary of Homeland Security;
– David Bernhardt, Former Secretary of the Interior;
- 8 Former Trump White House officials:
– Larry Kudlow, Former White House Chief Economic Adviser;
– Brooke Rollins, Former Director of the United States Domestic Policy Council;
– Kellyanne Conway, Former Senior Adviser to President Trump,
– Gen. Keith Kellogg, Former National Security Adviser to VP Mike Pence;
– Scott Turner, Former Executive Director of Trump’s White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council;
– Kevin Hassett, Former Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers;
– Fred Fleitz, Former Chief of Staff to National Security Adviser John Bolton;
– Pastor Paula White-Cain, Former Spiritual Adviser for the White House;
- 10 GOP senators:
– Mike Braun (R-Ind.),
– Ron Johnson (R-Wis.),
– Ted Cruz (R-Texas),
– Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.),
– Steve Daines (R-Mont.),
– Joni Ernst (R-Iowa),
– Bill Hagerty ( R-Tenn.),
– James Lankford (R-Okla.),
– Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.),
– Rick Scott (R-Fla.);
- 3 Former GOP Governors:
– Phil Bryant of Mississippi,
– Bobby Jindal of Louisiana,
– Rick Perry of Texas;
- 13 House members, such as Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.)
All information in article provided by Axios.