The Club for Growth, a major conservative campaign group, will host nearly all of the top 2024 Republican nominees for the Donor Retreat this weekend in South Florida, except for Donald Trump, according to Republicans familiar with the plan. do.
Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley and former pharmaceutical mogul turned conservative influencer Vivek Ramaswamy will headline the conference in Palm Beach. Top Republican lawmakers seriously considering running are also Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, Senator Tim Scott, and Hampshire Governor Chris Snunu.
The only candidate declared not to attend is former President Donald Trump. Trump, widely criticized for his 2020 election lies that sparked the Jan. 6, 2021 riots and poor Republican results in the 2022 midterm elections, was not invited to pull out donors. , a Republican source told Yahoo News. The retreat will be held in Palm Beach, Fla., where Mr. Trump lives in the Mar-a-Lago mansion.
Club for Growth is a long-standing conservative group that has played a key role in fundraising for far-right candidates. The group, led by former Indiana Congressman David McIntosh, has also had an on-and-off relationship with Trump.
In 2022, the group helped Trump pick candidates for major Senate elections, including Ted Budd, who won the vacant seat in the North Carolina Senate. However, the two split in the Ohio Senate primary, and their relationship soured again. Trump reportedly told McIntosh“Fuck yourself.”
Earlier this month, Trump criticized the organization on his social media platforms, calling it “a bunch of political misfits, globalists and losers.”
Yahoo News reached out to a Trump spokesperson for comment.
The group’s annual donor retreat will take place at a time when the 2024 field is rapidly forming for the Republican Party. DeSantis remains the frontrunner if Trump jumps in, hosting Republican donors (including many former Trump donors) at a retreat last weekend.
Trump is set to make the latest news headlines as he slowly returns to the campaign after announcing his third candidacy at the White House in November. CPAC Conference in Washington later this week.