After meeting with former President Donald Trump this weekend, Sen. Lindsey Graham told reporters the president is focused on the 2022 election and working to get “the best team in the field.”
“He’s very focused, working the phones, talking to folks,” Graham said. “He’s very involved in helping the team win. He made a bunch of phone calls and trying to get the best team on the field. I was very pleased.”
News of the huddle with Graham comes days after Trump’s team announced that the president will deliver his first public speech since leaving the White House at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Feb. 28. Trump’s speech will chart the course for the Republican party and cover issues such as standing up to China, dismantling the big tech monopoly, and defending free speech, according to former senior White House advisor Stephen Miller.
McConnell fired the first shot by publicly laying some of the blame for the Capitol breach on Jan. 6 on Trump. How the conflict will play out in the 2022 races remains to be seen, although it’s clear that both men want Republicans to retake the majority in the House and Senate in 2022.
Before meeting Trump, Graham told reporters on Friday, “I want us to come together as much as possible. I think we need to be united around getting the majority back. ... The worst possible outcome for the Republican Party is to continue to argue amongst itself.”
The aftermath of the 2020 election featured a small number of Republicans in the House and Senate voting to impeach and convict Trump over a charge brought forward by the Democrats.
Those who opposed the president are already facing backlash from local Republican parties. Some, like Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), are already being targeted for a primary challenge by Trump allies.
