An unsaid order has governed Donald Trump’s calendar since he left Washington on January since he no longer has a chief of staff to screen his calls as he keeps no predictable working hours. The rule; to sit down with the former president, you must belong to his posh Palm Beach club or know how to contact him directly. Yet, even that will not generally do it.
For weeks now, Donald Trump has called off all meetings with everyone from former South Carolina governor and 2024 hopeful Nikki Haley to House and Senate GOP candidates competing to have a word with him. Donald Trump apparently prefers to spend his days leisurely by calling friends, binging cable news, golfing with a rotating cast of partners and basking in standing ovations whenever he arrives for dinner on Mar-a-Lago’s outdoor patio.
Trump has appeared to enjoy transitioning into his post-presidency life.“He’s really doing what all the other guys his age with that kind of net worth do,” said one Florida Republican operative close to the Trump family. However, this is about to change.
Three people familiar with the planning have said that former president Donald Trump will soon start examining candidates at Mar-a-Lago who are yearning to fulfill his promise to demand retaliating upon incumbent Republicans who’ve looked down upon him, and to ensure every open GOP seat in the 2022 midterms has a MAGA-approved contender competing for it.
Donald Trump already has received dozens of requests from prospective candidates seeking to introduce themselves and apprehend his endorsement, and formal meetings with them could begin as early as March.
Trump has now shifted his focus towards the post-presidential activism venture as he survived his second Senate impeachment trial. The venture mostly bankrolled by his new leadership PAC, Save America, which had $31 million in its coffers at the start of this month.
Donald trump met with his former campaign manager Brad Parscale earlier this week to discuss an online fundraising component to support his efforts. They also discussed on how Trump can utilize social media despite his ban from popular websites like Twitter. Moreover, Trump also met with House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.), and his eldest son Don Jr. earlier this week.
“We are in the process of putting together a more formal schedule for candidates who want to come get his endorsement,” said senior Trump adviser Jason Miller, noting that Trump’s meetings so far have been limited to golf friends, Mar-a-Lago members and “folks with the ability to contact him themselves.”
Trump’s so called revenge tour comes as other top Rebulicans try to talk him into working with the party’s framework ahead of 2022’s midterm elections, rather than recruiting competitor candidates whose tender could complicate primaries and cost the GOP seats.
Senator Lindsey Graham is expected to meet with Donald Trump over the weekend to talk about his upcoming plans and his desire to push voter reforms at a time when the topic of election integrity has created a major split among elected Republicans.
“I’m more worried about 2022 than I’ve ever been. I don’t want to eat our own,” Graham told Fox News on the heels of a blistering statement Trump released this week accusing Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) of jeopardizing GOP candidates with his “lack of political insight, wisdom, skill, and personality.” Whether Graham can make a team player of the bitter ex-president largely depends on who else Trump is in contact with, and how often.