Trump flexes political muscle, meets top House Republican

WASHINGTON • Mr Donald Trump has met House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy in Florida amid a tug of war over the Republican Party's future, with congressional leadership appearing eager to present a united front with the former president.

Winning back the House of Representatives from Democrats next year was the primary topic of the Thursday meeting at Mr Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, according to a readout provided by Save America, a political action committee linked to Mr Trump.

Mr Trump's "popularity has never been stronger than it is today, and his endorsement means more than perhaps any endorsement at any time", it said.

Mr McCarthy, an ally who encouraged Mr Trump's baseless election fraud claims, distanced himself from the outgoing president after Mr Trump was accused of inspiring his supporters to storm the US Capitol earlier this month. He declared that Mr Joe Biden was the winner of the November election and that Mr Trump "bears responsibility for attack on Congress by mob rioters".

But on Thursday, Mr McCarthy appeared back in Mr Trump's good graces, as the two grinned broadly in a handout photograph.

"Today, President Trump committed to helping elect Republicans in the House and Senate in 2022," Mr McCarthy said in a statement that also attacked Democrats for "impeaching a president who is now a private citizen". He added: "A united conservative movement will strengthen the bonds of our citizens and uphold the freedoms our country was founded on."

With Mr Trump impeached for an unprecedented second time, and the Senate girding for his trial, it was unclear how much political clout he would retain beyond his presidency. But several Republicans, following polling showing strong party support for Mr Trump, have recently signalled that they will remain in his orbit - or at least not publicly break with him.

"You have the Trump wing of the party, wanting to purge those who have stood up to the president's lies, (and) you have the establishment wing of the party wanting to purge the party of Trump," former Republican congressman Carlos Curbelo told MSNBC. "Right now, it's clear that the Trump wing is dominant."

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE