A private gathering of big Republican Party donors and conservative leaders will include a top Biden White House official and several critics of former President Donald Trump but not Mr. Trump, according to a report.
The former president was not invited to the off-the-record event hosted by the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative-leaning think tank, CBS News reported.
Among the expected attendees: Biden economic adviser Brian Deese; Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Republican; Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, a Republican; Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican; and Sen. Tim Scott, South Carolina Republican. It was not clear whether former Vice President Mike Pence will attend.
AEI’s annual World Forum will be held this week at The Cloister at Sea Island, Georgia. Past attendees have included billionaire executives from manufacturing, energy and financial companies, according to the report.
Mr. Trump was the headliner at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando, Florida, last month. He is the de facto leader of the GOP with a huge campaign war chest, and his endorsement is coveted by candidates in Republican primaries nationwide.
Democrats have attended past AEI conferences, and several top Trump administration officials have attended them as well.
Jesse Lee, a senior communications adviser to the White House National Economic Council, told CBS News in a statement: “The Biden White House has successfully found common ground on things like the bipartisan infrastructure law and competitiveness legislation by reaching out to stakeholders across the spectrum. We will continue to talk to anybody who has an interest in collaborating toward our goal of building long-term growth that benefits all Americans.”
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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