In Preparing For Trump’s Return, Old Gang Gets Back Together

(Bloomberg) -- There was a whiff of nostalgia in the air as Donald Trump's old guard got ready for their boss's return to a capital he once presided over.

The stage was set by the former president's senior aides, a volley away from the White House, in a ballroom at a luxury Washington hotel. The main event: a keynote speech on Tuesday afternoon for the America First Policy Institute, which could be the moment Trump announces he's running for president again in 2024. 

To his supporters, it's not really about the if, but the when.

A lot will depend on the mood and the man's own unpredictable temperament. Are the crowds big enough? Inside on Monday, there were about 600 people, including Trump administration alums who exchanged hugs, handshakes and deep laughs. 

Trump has not been back to Washington for 18 months -- after he fled to Florida following a 2020 defeat he refused to accept and the backlash from a mob storming the Capitol building in his name. 

Never Left

“I say he never left: his spirit's here,” said Bruce LeVell, a longtime adviser to the former president. 

LeVell, who has been advising Trump going as far back as his 2015 announcement in his first campaign, said he expects a 2024 announcement “quicker than you probably think.”

In what could be a major boon, a speech by his former Vice President Mike Pence -- planned at a separate think tank -- was postponed Monday evening due to bad weather in D.C., though Pence spoke at another gathering Tuesday morning.

Read More: Pence Steps Away from Trump, Urges Focus on Future

Trump's remarks are expected to focus on his views of how the US is faring under the current administration, according to his spokesman Taylor Budowich.

“President Trump sees a nation in decline that is driven, in part, by rising crime and communities becoming less safe under Democrat policies,” he said. “His remarks will highlight the policy failures of Democrats, while laying out an America First vision for public safety that will surely be a defining issue during the midterms and beyond.”

The group that convened the Trump event are true-believers. America First's agenda items include everything from shoring up the economy to making it “easy to vote and hard to cheat,” a subtle nod to Trump's false claims that the election was stolen. They expect around 1,200 people for the former president's address, according to Marc Lotter, a spokesman for the institute.  

On the sidelines of the summit, there was no mention of the House committee hearings on the Jan. 6 riot on the Capitol and the portrayal of Trump as an instigator who was indifferent to the violent mob. Mark Meadows, a former chief of staff who drew attention during congressional hearings, glad-handed in the ballroom.

Brawny security in military-green polo shirts stood guard in the hotel lobby. 

The group used the same security that Trump uses for his rallies. Former Republican speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, credited with helping the GOP take control of Congress in the 1994 midterm elections, worked the room, taking pictures with attendees. 

In a brief intermission between one afternoon session, a video of a news clip played showing a crowd cheering on the recent announcement that the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade. Alveda King, a longtime Trump supporter who chairs one of America First's groups, led the audience in a rendition of “This Little Light of Mine.” 

Absent, however, were the red “Make America Great Again” baseball caps or signs that are fixtures at typical Trump gatherings. Instead, with a conference centered around Trump's policies, the attendees were decked out in designer suits and dresses. 

Former Trump administration officials -- including Brooke Rollins, America First Policy Institute's president and chief executive officer, Kellyanne Conway, a former senior counselor to Trump, former Energy Secretary Rick Perry, and former acting attorney general Matt Whitaker -- held lively conversations with attendees.  

Conservative firebrand Kathy Barnette, who ran an insurgent campaign for the Republican nomination in the US Senate race in Pennsylvania, was in attendance. She had not been backed by Trump, offering a different mix into the equation.

Polls show Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis as the strongest challenger to Trump. DeSantis's star has risen as Trump's grip on the party has shown signs of loosening nearly two years removed from office and as the House's Jan. 6 committee lay bare his worst instincts.

Other potential contenders include Trump's former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his former ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley. 

“We know there's the media that tries to play DeSantis against him, and others Pompeo, Nikki, all these other people.” LeVell said. “Listen, that's junior varsity, bro, quote. There's only one varsity team: that's Donald John Trump, period.”

Florida US Senator Rick Scott, who chairs the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said he hopes that Trump will speak about the midterms, but dodged a question on whether he would be happy with a Trump 2024 announcement.

“It's a choice everybody gets to make,” Scott said. 

(Adds expected focus of Trump speech.)

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