- The Washington Times - Thursday, July 14, 2022

Former President Donald Trump is returning to Washington for the first time since he left the White House.

Mr. Trump is set to deliver the closing address at the America First Policy Institute’s two-day American First Agenda Summit, which will feature a series of speakers from the former president’s administration.

Brooke Rollins, president and CEO of AFPI and former director of the White House Domestic Policy Council under Mr. Trump, said the forum will serve as a reminder of how much better off the country was off with the 45th president.

“It wasn’t that long ago that America was flourishing. Paychecks were growing. Poverty was shrinking. The price of gas was down. The stock market was up. And there were no new wars. What a difference 16 months makes,” Ms. Rollins said in a statement. “The America First Policy Institute is excited to welcome President Donald Trump back to Washington, D.C.

The summit is slated for July 25 and July 26.

Mr. Trump has been teasing another run for president in 2024 and news reports suggest the announcement could come before the midterm elections this fall.

The America First Policy Institute, meanwhile, has provided safe harbor to former members of the Trump administration.

Mr. Trump has remained a dominating figure in GOP politics since departing Washington in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021 riot in which a mob of his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol to protest the results of the 2020 election.

Shortly before leaving office, the House impeached Mr. Trump for inciting the riot. The Senate later acquitted him.

The House Jan. 6 committee has been shining a bright light on the role Mr. Trump and his stolen-election claims played in inciting the riot.

Mr. Trump, though, remains immensely popular in the eyes of Republicans and would be considered the frontrunner in the race for the 2024 GOP nomination if he tossed his hat in the ring.

This list of speakers for the summit also includes House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, the odds-on favorite to become speaker if Republicans flip the House, as well as eight former cabinet officials and nine former White House officials.

• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.

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