Donald Trump flexes clout, meets House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy

House Leader Kevin McCarthy attempts to repair relationship with Donald Trump amid revenge plot over Capitol riots.

Republican House of Representatives minority leader Kevin McCarthy has moved to repair his relationship with Donald Trump after the two fell out over the former president’s role in inciting his supporters ahead of the Capitol riots on January 6.

Mr McCarthy angered the former president when he said that Mr Trump “bears responsibility” for the insurrection at the Capitol and declared Joe Biden the winner of the November 3 election. But Mr McCarthy visited Mr Trump at his Florida resort of Mar-a-Lago on Friday (AEDT) in an attempt to repair the relationship with the former president.

Mr McCarthy and Mr Trump were photographed grinning broadly in a cavernous, ornate room reminiscent of a European palace.

“Today, President Trump committed to helping elect Republicans in the House and Senate in 2022,” Mr McCarthy said in a statement that also attacked Democrats for “impeaching a president who is now a private citizen”.

“A united conservative movement will strengthen the bonds of our citizens and uphold the freedoms our country was founded on,” he said.

Winning back the House from Democrats in 2022 was the primary topic of the meeting, according to a readout provided by Save America, a political action committee linked to Mr 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.

Mr Trump and his aides have been plotting revenge against those Republicans who attacked him for his role in the riots, that triggered the call up of 25,000 members of the National Guard to ensure the security of Mr Biden’s inauguration on January 20.

The US Department of Homeland Security declared a nationwide terrorism alert on Thursday, citing the potential threat from domestic extremists opposed to Mr Biden.

Extremists “emboldened” by the deadly assault on Congress by angry Trump supporters could undertake attacks against elected officials and government facilities, the alert said.

The National Terrorism Advisory System Bulletin said the threat of attacks could persist for weeks.

The alert came two days after the Pentagon said thousands of National Guard troops deployed in Washington for the inauguration would remain in the capital through to March due to FBI

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