Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump met with a group of past and present lawmakers Monday prior to his scheduled address at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee policy conference as he continues to try to rally the GOP around his campaign.
Sitting down at Jones Day law firm on Capitol Hill, Trump met with many of his supporters in Congress, along with a handful of non-supporters. Among those in the meeting were Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., and former Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., who heads up the Heritage Foundation, as well many congressmen who have publicly come out for the GOP front-runner.
“This was an opportunity for him, since he’s here to meet with a lot of his supporters, current members as well as past members and others,” said Rep. Chris Collins, R-NY,, a Trump supporter, telling reporters further that he didn’t want to get into details about who else was in attendance. “It was all about making America great again. We talked about jobs, the Supreme Court, we talked about national defense.”
“It was a great meeting, and there will be more, and that’s all I can say,” said Tim Marino, R-Pa., after the meeting. “We talked in general terms today.”
Of the sitting lawmakers who attended, many already had announced their support of Trump. In addition to Collins and Marino, Reps. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., Scott DesJarlais, R-Tenn., and Renee Ellmers, R-N.C., who said she voted for Trump last week, were also present.
Notably, Trump reeled off another endorsement, with former Rep. Bob Livingston, R-La., telling reporters on the way out that he now officially backs the GOP front-runner. Famously, Livingston was in line to become Gingrich’s replacement as House speaker in 1998 before announcing he had an affair and resigning from Congress.
“I voted for somebody else, but I am really, really irritated by these people who think they are smarter than the American people,” Livingston told reporters as he exited.
“The American people are expressing themselves loudly in just about every state and most of the primaries, and he’s getting most of the votes,” Livingston said. “For me, that’s very, very important. I want to see the people heard. I want to see Donald Trump president.”
Earlier in the day, Trump revealed a preliminary list of his foreign policy advisers prior to his AIPAC address during a meeting with The Washington Post’s editorial board, which is chaired by Sessions, who came out in support of his candidacy prior to Super Tuesday.
Perhaps the biggest name present was Gingrich, who attended with his wife Callista. Despite having spoken highly of Trump in the past, the 2012 presidential candidate declined to comment on the meeting itself. Rather, he offered up his take on the group’s meal.
“The lunch was pretty good,” Gingrich said as he exited.
