Donald Trump is returning to the Capitol to meet with Republicans in his first visit to the region since the January 6, 2021 riots.
The presumptive Republican nominee for November’s presidential election delivered a message of unity, promising to “settle” any lingering differences with his fellow Republicans.
Later in the day, the former president was also scheduled to meet an association of 200 business leaders.
Nancy Pelosi, the former Democratic speaker of the House of Representatives, said in a statement that Trump was “the instigator of an insurrection…returning to the scene of the crime.”
The visit comes weeks after Trump was criminally convicted of falsifying business records during his secret trial in New York.
He arrived Thursday morning at a Republican office building near the U.S. Capitol, passing a small crowd of protesters holding signs with slogans such as “failed coup” and “Democracy forever, Trump never.”
In a brief news conference Thursday afternoon, Trump said there was “great unity” within the party and pledged to stand with his fellow Republicans, even those with whom he has sometimes had controversial relationships in the past.
“I am with each and every one of you. I will always be with you,” he said. “If (a relationship) wasn’t great, it eventually gets better.”
“We only have one thing in mind: to make our county great again,” he added.
Trump did not take questions from reporters after the news conference, but waved and waved to a small group of supporters shouting “I love you.”
“Thank you,” he said in response.
Following a meeting between Trump and House Republicans earlier in the day, House Speaker Mike Johnson said the former president “brought an extraordinary amount of energy and enthusiasm This morning”.
“That’s what we’re seeing in the party across the country,” Mr Johnson said. “We believe we will win back the White House and the Senate, and increase the majority in the House.”
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has been an outspoken critic of Trump in the past, called the visit “really positive.”
“He received many ovations,” Mr. McConnell added.
During the meeting, Trump reportedly called the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin – which will host the Republican National Convention later this year – “terrible”, prompting his spokesperson to clarify that he was referring to crime in the city rather than the city itself.
Before the visit, Politico reported that Trump called Mr. Johnson to urge him to help overturn his May 31 conviction on 34 counts of document falsification in New York.
“We have to undo this,” Trump reportedly said in an expletive-laden call.
New York Republican Representative Marcus Molinaro told CBS, the BBC’s US partner, that Trump made no mention of the conviction during his meeting with House Republicans.
More than three years ago, Trump urged his supporters to “fight like hell” just hours before a mob stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, in an unsuccessful attempt to prevent the certification of the election.
Ms. Pelosi said in her statement: “Donald Trump is coming to Capitol Hill today on the same mission to dismantle our democracy.
“Make no mistake, Trump has already cemented his legacy of shame in our hallowed halls.”
