Trump to meet with GOP lawmakers to sketch a plan for a possible second term

Former President Donald Trump is in Washington on Thursday to visit with congressional Republicans for the first time since he left office — and since his historic criminal convictions in the New York hush money trial.

Trump is expected to meet lawmakers in closed-door talks near Capitol Hill, with a breakfast visit set with House Republicans and an afternoon session with their Senate counterparts.

"There's high anticipation here and great excitement," House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said ahead of the meeting, adding that his members want to "bounce around ideas" with Trump.

The meeting marks a high-stakes affair for Trump and Republicans heading into the contentious final months of the presidential campaign. While many congressional Republicans are firmly behind Trump, there remains a divide among some Republican members on how strongly to support the former president as he faces multiple legal battles.

Johnson said it's critical for House Republicans to plan for an "aggressive first 100 days agenda."

"I think we cannot waste a moment, because there's so many things to do," Johnson said Wednesday. "So in light of that, we're having discussions with [Trump] and his team now and amongst ourselves to plan accordingly. You don't put the cart before the horse, but you do have to be prepared to lead. And we're going to be prepared."

Ahead of the meeting, Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., said he expects Trump to rally the conference and "lay out a vision, lay out what our role is, lay out for the next five months what he's going to be concentrating on."

Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming, the No. 3 Republican in the upper chamber, told colleagues that he invited Trump. Barrasso, who chairs the Senate Republican Conference, said he