Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox
Get our free Inside Washington email
Donald Trump is preparing for his first return to the US Capitol since his supporters laid siege to it on January 6 2021 in protest at his defeat by Joe Biden in the previous November’s election.
The Republican presidential candidate and convicted felon will meet with House and Senate GOP lawmakers in Washington DC behind closed doors on Thursday.
He has also recorded an appearance on social media star Logan Paul’s podcast that will drop later today and will address a gathering of CEOs in DC this evening.
Trailing his interview with Paul, Trump was seen in an X video presenting the host with a pair of MAGA caps and a T-shirt bearing his mugshot taken last summer in Fulton County, Georgia, declaring the image was so famous it had enabled him to “eclipse” Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra.
In another preview, Paul is seen discussing the possibility of getting President Biden to appear on his Impaulsive show, estimating his chances as “less than one per cent”.
Former Georgia special prosecutor Nathan Wade has meanwhile said he believes Trump will still face a trial in his state even if he returns to the White House.
Former special prosecutor says he expects Trump will be tried in Georgia even if he wins the White House
Nathan Wade gave an interview to CNN’s Kaitlan Collins last night in which he said of the prospect of a future President Trump facing justice in his state: “I don’t believe it looks good to the rest of the world. But I don’t think there is anything that would prevent that from happening.”
He also said that his personal relationship with Fulton County district attorney Fani Willis, which forced him to leave the Trump case, was simply a matter of “bad timing”.
Here’s Alex Lang’s report.
Not every Republican is pleased to welcome Trump back to Capitol Hill
While the former president plans to address the Republican congressional conference today in the hope of unifying the party, his detractors don’t plan to listen to him at all, writes Eric Garcia.
Trump to address top CEOs during DC visit
On what is already looking like a busy day for Trump, he will also reportedly address some of the world’s most powerful corporate leaders on Thursday – although there will be some notable absences in the audience.
President Joe Biden’s chief of staff Jeff Zients will also speak to the Business Roundtable in DC in Biden’s place, while he attends the G7 meeting in Italy.
Approximately 100 chief executives will attend the meeting, according to a spokesperson for the group, which holds quarterly meetings in Washington.
CNBC yesterday asked companies listed as members of the group whether their CEOs planned to attend.
Only 17 responded to the network, with four saying they would attend: JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon; Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser, Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan and the CEO of Edison International Pedro Pizarro.
Another 13 of them said their CEOs will not be going to see Trump and Zients speak, including Blackstone CEO and Trump ally Steve Schwarzman; Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon; Steelcase CEO Sara Armbruster, ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods; Delta CEO Ed Bastian; Morgan Stanley CEO Ted Pick and the company’s executive chairman James Gorman; and Lynn Good, the CEO of Duke Energy.
Some have travel conflicts (Armbruster, Good and Solomon) while BlackRock CEO Larry Fink and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella are reportedly at the G7 summit.
Biden spoke at a private meeting of the group in 2022.
Trump to appear on Logan Paul podcast on Thursday
The former president will appear on the latest episode of Impaulsive, the podcast of social media sensation Logan Paul, on Thursday, a guest spot he trailed by gifting the host with a couple of MAGA caps and a T-shirt featuring his Georgia mugshot, which he claimed had helped him to “eclipse” Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra.
Trump used his new TikTok account to announce the appearance:
Meanwhile, Jake Paul, the podcaster’s brother, told Jesse Watters on Fox last night that Joe Biden’s failure to appear on Impaulsive was reason enough for young people not to vote for him.
We live in strange times.
Here’s the latest from Indy100’s Catherine Shuttleworth.
Logan Paul facing backlash for interviewing Donald Trump
Logan Paul has divided fans after he announced the next guest on his podcast: Donald Trump.The YouTuber’s podcast ‘Impaulsive’, has previously held the No. 1 spot in the podcast charts, and is expected to rise again with an appearance from the former president.The episode is releasing Thursday 13 Ju…
Trump to return to Capitol for first time since Jan 6 riot
The Republican will make his first return to Capitol Hill in Washington DC on Thursday since his supporters laid siege to the US Capitol on January 6 2021 in protest at his defeat to Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election.
Trump was already scheduled to meet behind closed doors with GOP senators but will now also reportedly sit down with their House counterparts in a separate session.
House GOP Conference chairwoman and prospective Trump running mate Elise Stefanik notified lawmakers on Tuesday about the upcoming meeting with their party’s presumptive nominee.
Here’s our report.
Trump plans Wisconsin rally for next week
Donald Trump will hold a rally in Racine, Wisconsin on June 18.
The former president will deliver remarks at 3pm CT as part of his effort to win the state that he lost in 2020 but won in 2016.
In early May, President Joe Biden visited Wisconsin to announce plans to invest $3.3bn in a high-tech data center. The facility in Racine County is being built on the same site where Trump had once planned with Foxconn to construct a $10bn factory, that he referred to as the eighth wonder of the world. The planned factory was never built.
‘So rude!’: Republican snaps at rival for reminding him Trump was found guilty by a jury
“They bring up the trial of Donald Trump, a convicted felony. Really? By a judge that is a known anti-Trumper,” Norman said.
At that moment, Nadler interrupted to correct his colleague that he was not found guilty by a judge, a lie that Trump has amplified, but rather by a jury.
Read on…
ICYMI: Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg set to be dragged to the Hill one day after Trump’s sentencing
A spokesperson for the district attorney’s office confirmed to The Independent Tuesday that Bragg and Assistant District Attorney Matthew Colangelo have agreed to “voluntarily appear” before the House Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government on July 12.
“The Manhattan DA’s Office is proud to play a crucial role in upholding and enforcing the rule of law for the people of New York,” a spokesperson for the office said in a statement shared with The Independent.
Alex Woodward reports:
CNN calls out Fox News hypocrisy over reactions to Hunter Biden and Trump guilty verdicts
CNN aired a montage on Tuesday evening comparing and contrasting the very different reaction of Fox News hosts to the criminal convictions of Donald Trump and Hunter Biden at their respective trials, a surprisingly direct attack on a media rival.
Joe Sommerlad unpacks what was said:
Coming up: Trump to return to Capitol for first time since Jan 6 riot
Donald Trump will make his first return to Capitol Hill in Washington DC on Thursday since his supporters laid siege to the US Capitol on January 6 2021 in protest at his defeat to Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election.
Joe Sommerlad has the details…
Source: independent.co.uk
