Trump Will Meet With Senate Republicans Ahead of CEO Event

(Bloomberg) -- Donald Trump will meet with Senate Republicans on Thursday, the latest effort among Washington policymakers to plot out priorities if the former president wins a second term.

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Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming, who serves in Republican leadership, invited Trump to speak to GOP senators, according to an email obtained by Bloomberg.

“I believe it will be helpful to hear directly from President Trump about his plans for the summer and to also share our ideas for a strategic governing agenda in 2025,” Barrasso wrote on Monday.

The gathering comes as Trump has begun to vet possible running mates — including some senators. JD Vance, a Republican who represents Ohio, told Fox News on Monday that he had been asked to submit “a number of things” to the campaign.

“Certainly like, you know, ‘have you committed a crime?’ or ‘lied about this?’ certainly have those conversations,” he said.

North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum also said Monday he was being vetted as part of Trump’s search. “Obviously it’s an honor to be included,” he said in an interview with Fargo radio station The Flag.

Trump’s meeting with lawmakers will take place hours before the former president is slated to attend an event with chief executive officers hosted by the Business Roundtable in Washington, where the presumptive Republican nominee is seeking to win over the support from the business community.

Earlier: Trump to Speak at CEO Meeting Weeks After Conviction

The congressional meeting comes just weeks after the former president was convicted on 34 felony counts in a New York hush-money court case. On the campaign trail, he has pledged a series of actions, including slashing taxes, exempting tipped income from levies and an overhaul of the immigration system that would require congressional action.

Senate Republicans hope to win a majority in November, which would give them the power to move Trump’s legislative priorities and cabinet picks if he wins a second term. Democrats hold a narrow majority and are defending three seats in states Trump carried in his last two presidential campaigns.

Trump has inserted himself into a number of recent legislative battles. Notably, he and his allies sunk the bid for Representative Tom Emmer to ascend to the speakership last year. In January, he lobbied Republicans to kill a burgeoning bipartisan immigration bill, promising that he would help them accomplish more in the next term should he be reelected.

(Updates to include VP, starting in fourth paragraph.)

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