Rep. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) has invited former President Donald Trump to speak with Senate Republicans on Thursday, according to an email sent to members on Monday.
“I believe it will be helpful to hear directly from President Trump about his plans for the summer and to also share our ideas for a strategic governing agenda in 2025,” Barrasso, the Senate GOP conference chair, wrote to Republican senators.
The meeting will occur outside the Capitol campus. It was first reported by NBC News.
Senate Republicans have plenty to coordinate on with Trump ahead of the fall campaign as the party tries to take back the White House and Senate in November. The conference is working closely with Trump in key Senate races after a 2022 cycle marked by Trump’s occasionally discordant endorsement choices, and Trump gave GOP senators a boost on Sunday by endorsing Sam Brown in Nevada’s contested primary this week.
While a tough map for Democrats this year means the Senate GOP can probably flip the chamber by beating incumbents in one of two red states, Ohio and Montana, if the party wants a larger wave it will have to ensure Trump and Republican candidates can work together in five key battlegrounds: Nevada, Wisconsin, Michigan, Arizona, and Pennsylvania. And Trump will have to help Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Rick Scott (R-Fla.) prevail in their own reelections.
Not to mention that Trump is currently eyeing three sitting GOP senators as potential running mates: J.D. Vance (Ohio), Tim Scott (S.C.) and Marco Rubio (Fla.). And if he should win in November, he’ll likely have lots of sway over who will replace Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell next year after the Kentucky Republican steps aside from the conference’s top spot.
Which means there’s a lot on the line as the current class of Senate Republicans hold their first large-scale meeting with the former president.
And despite his presumptive presidential nomination, Trump remains a divisive figure in some corners of the party. Several GOP senators have not endorsed his White House bid, others have questioned his ability to win the general election over the past year and most rejected his attempts to overturn his loss in 2020.
