House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R., Calif.) and former President Trump met on Thursday to discuss “taking back the House” from Democrats in 2022.
The meeting comes as GOP congressmen attempt to navigate Democrats’ effort to impeach the former president, and as many ask how much influence Trump will retain in the Republican Party following his defeat. Trump was impeached for “incitement to insurrection” after he called on a mob of his supporters to amass at the Capitol on January 6. The mob subsequently breached the Capitol and forced lawmakers to evacuate, in a riot that left five people dead, including a Capitol police officer.
McCarthy said on January 13 that Trump “bears responsibility for [the] attack on Congress by mob rioters,” although he subsequently appeared to backtrack from those comments.
“Today, President Trump committed to helping elect Republicans in the House and Senate in 2022. A Republican majority will listen to our fellow Americans and solve the challenges facing our nation,” McCarthy said in a statement on Thursday after meeting with the former president.
“Democrats, on the other hand, have only put forward an agenda that divides us — such as impeaching a President who is now a private citizen,” McCarthy continued. “For the sake of our country, the radical Democrat agenda must be stopped.”
Trump released his own statement saying that he “agreed to work with Leader McCarthy” on taking back the House.
“President Trump’s popularity has never been stronger than it is today, and his endorsement means more than perhaps any endorsement at any time,” the former president said.
Republicans gained House seats during the 2020 elections, after defying polls that predicted Democrats would gain additional seats for their party.