Trump flexes political muscle, meets top House Republican

Donald Trump met with US House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy in Florida Thursday amid a tug of war over the Republican Party's future, with congressional leadership appearing eager to present a united front with the former president.

Winning back the House of Representatives from Democrats in 2022 was the primary topic of the meeting at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, according to a readout provided by Save America, a political action committee linked to Trump.

"President Trump's popularity has never been stronger than it is today, and his endorsement means more than perhaps any endorsement at any time," it said.

McCarthy, an ally who encouraged Trump's baseless election fraud claims, distanced himself from the outgoing president after Trump was accused of inspiring his supporters to storm the US Capitol earlier this month.

He declared that Joe Biden was the winner of the November election and that Trump "bears responsibility for (the January 6) attack on Congress by mob rioters."