Donald Trump tells US Republican donors he’ll help win Congress in 2022
- Trump made clear to donors at a private dinner that he’s still irked at his inability to hang on to the White House
- He is seeking to position himself as a kingmaker in Congress in the 2022 elections
Former US President Donald Trump vowed at a donor retreat on Saturday to help Republicans win seats in Congress in 2022 elections but lashed out at two top party figures, Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell and former Vice-President Mike Pence.
McConnell drew Trump’s ire in the aftermath of the election for stating the obvious – that Biden had won the presidency – and the two remain at odds. Parting from the prepared text of his speech, Trump called the senator a “son of a b****”, an attendee told Reuters.
Before leaving office, Trump had scolded Pence for not intervening to stop the congressional certification of the vote tally, an authority the vice-president did not have.
The vote certification was the backdrop for the events on Jan. 6 when pro-Trump protesters stormed the US Capitol.
Departing again from his prepared text, Trump said he had spoken to Pence recently and told him he was still disappointed in him, the attendee said.
Representatives for McConnell and Pence did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
