Former President Trump met with Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Eric Schmitt (R-Missouri) on Thursday to discuss policy and other topics that may come up in the first presidential debate later this month, multiple sources confirmed to The Hill.
Trump reportedly held policy discussions with both senators during his visit to Washington, where he met with House Republicans, Senate Republicans and corporate CEOs as part of a business roundtable event.
Schmidt is a close ally of President Trump, while Rubio is one of the people being considered for the Republican vice presidential nomination.
The New York Times First reported About a meeting held at the Republican National Committee headquarters.
Aides said Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, is not preparing for a traditional debate before his showdown with President Biden on June 27. Instead, he is holding meetings like Thursday’s with Rubio, Schmidt and other members of his team to discuss topics that might be discussed.
“President Trump demonstrates incredible stamina by conducting numerous demanding interviews and delivering lengthy standing rally speeches every week,” Jason Miller, a senior adviser to the Trump campaign, said in a statement.
The Times reported that Trump team members discussed Thursday how he would respond if the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol comes up or if questions are asked about Trump’s pledge to pardon those charged in that day’s riot.
Trump and Biden are scheduled to hold two debates: the first on June 27 in Atlanta, moderated by CNN, and the second on September 10 in New York, moderated by ABC News.
The former president has been pushing for a debate with Biden for months, with Trump and his team expressing confidence that voters would not be impressed with the incumbent’s physical and mental strength.
But Trump Mixed records He did not participate in any general election debates, missed all of the 2024 Republican primary debates, and has not participated in a debate since the 2020 election.
Biden has been traveling internationally over the past two weeks and is reportedly planning to do some preparations at Camp David ahead of the debate.
