Photo: Trump (center) appeared on Capitol Hill on the 13th, and Republican lawmakers applauded and welcomed him. \Reuters

Former US President Trump returned to Capitol Hill on the 13th and was warmly welcomed by Republicans in both the Senate and the House. This was Trump’s first “revisit” since the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021. Republican lawmakers presented Trump, who turned 78 on the 14th, with a cake with candles representing the numbers “45” and “47”, symbolizing that Trump, the 45th President of the United States, will soon become the 47th President. The Democrats were very dissatisfied with this. Former House Speaker Pelosi said that Trump incited the Capitol riot and now “returned to the crime scene.”

[Ta Kung Pao News]The Wall Street Journal said that Trump was in high spirits and even a little carried away when he returned to Capitol Hill on the 13th. He told jokes and discussed campaign strategies with Republican lawmakers, looking forward to winning the November election. Senators presented him with a birthday cake, and congressmen sang “Happy Birthday”. Trump declared: “Our country is in decline and is being laughed at by the whole world… We will quickly reverse this situation, and the polls seem to be very favorable to us.” The latest Ipsos poll released on the 13th showed that if the general election was held immediately, 41% of registered voters would vote for Trump and 39% would vote for the current President Biden.

Democratic Congressman Thompson, chairman of the House Special Committee investigating the Capitol riots, accused Trump of “inciting a deadly insurrection that defiled the Capitol.” Thompson said: “How dare Trump show up here? It is well known that he has no respect for democracy, but congressional Republicans allowed him to swagger in.” Pelosi also slammed Trump, saying that his return to Capitol Hill was like a criminal returning to the scene of the crime.

Party bosses reconcile with Trump

Trump was recently found guilty of 34 felonies in the “hush money” case, and the specific sentence will be announced on July 11. However, multiple polls show that this verdict has not shaken the support of Republican voters for him. Some Republicans, including Senate Republican leader McConnell, had previously criticized Trump for the Capitol riots, but now they have changed their faces. US media pointed out that Trump’s meeting with McConnell on the 13th may be the most obvious sign of his comeback in the party.

McConnell shook hands and fist-bumped with Trump on the 13th, and said: “Our meeting was very positive, and many people stood up and applauded him.” Louisiana Senator Cassidy, who voted in favor of Trump’s incitement of rebellion, also “reconciled” with him. Cassidy said: Polls show that Trump is likely to become the next president, so you have to work with him. Trump also tried to mediate the conflict between Republicans in the House of Representatives. He said in a joking tone that Georgia Congressman Greene should be nicer to House Speaker Johnson. Greene tried to oust Johnson as Speaker last month, but failed.

Among the people Trump met were potential vice presidential candidates. According to reports, he mentioned Ohio Senator Vance, Florida Senator Rubio, South Carolina Senator Scott, Florida Congressman Donalds, New York Congressman Stefanik and others, but did not reveal who he would choose as his running mate.

Promising tax cuts to business

Biden’s son Hunter was recently found guilty of three federal felony gun charges. Biden said on the 13th that he would not use presidential power to pardon Hunter. However, Ipsos found in the latest poll that 78% of registered voters did not care about Hunter’s conviction and said it would not affect their voting intentions. Another poll released by YouGov showed that American voters are more concerned about economic issues than lawsuits involving presidential candidates or their family members.

A Republican congressman revealed that Trump proposed the idea of ​​establishing a full tariff federal tax system on the 13th, combining external tax increases and domestic tax cuts. This may mean tax cuts for high-income people, but in fact it will increase taxes on consumers because the increased tariffs will eventually be passed on to consumers through prices. Trump also held talks with members of the US Business Roundtable, including CEOs of major banks such as JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Citigroup. People familiar with the matter revealed that Trump promised that if he is re-elected president, he will seek to reduce the corporate tax rate from 21% to 20%.

Trump’s campaign team issued a statement saying that Trump’s meeting with lawmakers on the 13th focused on how Republicans can cooperate and formulate policies aimed at making the US economy return to the “booming momentum” during Trump’s first term.

(The Wall Street Journal/Reuters/The New York Times)