Trump to return to DC for first time since 2021 to address policy summit

Former President Trump will return to Washington, D.C., later this month for the first time since leaving the White House in early 2021.

He will address a summit hosted by the America First Policy Institute, a think tank founded by former Trump White House officials, on July 26, according to a source familiar with the planning.

Other speakers slated for the two-day event include Linda McMahon, Trump’s former small business administrator and the head of the America First Policy Institute, as well as former Trump economic adviser Larry Kudlow, who serves on the board of the institute.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) are also listed as speakers at the summit.

Trump has delivered speeches and held rallies around the country for Republicans running for office over the past year and a half since he left the White House. But the July 26 speech will be his first time returning to the nation’s capital since he departed in January 2021.

Trump left the White House as something of a pariah after his supporters stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, following weeks of baseless claims that the election was stolen. GOP leaders condemned Trump in the days that followed the rioting.

But in the 18 months since, Trump has been fully embraced by Republican leaders again, and he is believed to be weighing a potential 2024 White House campaign.

A New York Times-Siena College poll released this week found 49 percent of Republican voters said they would back Trump in a GOP presidential primary, showing he remains popular but that his hold on the party may not be as strong as it once was.