President Donald Trump addressed Republican lawmakers in Washington on Tuesday, emphasizing the successes of his second administration to bolster GOP chances in the upcoming midterm elections. Speaking at a House GOP retreat, he urged the party to leverage these victories against Democratic policies. The event highlighted strategies for electoral success amid political tensions.
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump gathered Republican lawmakers at the Trump-Kennedy Center for Performing Arts in Washington for the House GOP Member Retreat. The session focused on preparing the party to defeat Democrats in the fall midterm elections. Each attendee received documents titled "Six reasons we’ll win the midterms," issued under the letterhead of House Speaker Mike Johnson, stressing the need to stay on the offensive.
Trump used his signature "weave" speaking style to recount administration highlights from the past year. These included border closure, enhanced law enforcement that improved city safety, global peace efforts, and successful tariff negotiations. "We can’t let them forget that we did such a great job on the border," he stressed.
He criticized vague rhetoric from some Republicans, saying, "We don’t need this bullsh*t. We need to talk about favored nations. And your numbers are coming down at levels that nobody has ever seen." Trump also addressed economic issues: "We inherited high prices... We inherited a mess. We inherited the greatest inflation in history. And you know what was knocking it down? The bad economy we inherited. We now have the hottest economy in the history of our country."
The president warned that a midterm loss could lead Democrats to impeach him, joking that Republicans should have impeached Joe Biden for "a hundred different things" but refrained because they are not as "mean" as their opponents. He contrasted policies, noting, "Fortunately for you, they have horrible policy... when they want open borders, when they want men in women’s sports, when they want transgender for everyone." In response, he added, "We have great, solid, common-sense policy... They have horrendous policy. What they do, is they stick together. They never have a ‘no’ vote."
Acknowledging historical trends where the party losing the presidency gains in midterms, Trump insisted Republicans could buck this by promoting his achievements. "I gave you … a road map to victory," he concluded. "You have so many good nuggets. You have to use them. If you can sell them, we are gonna win." He claimed, "We have had the most successful first year of any president in history... And it should be a positive. Make it a positive."
