In a bid to unify his party, Trump invites House Republicans to Mar-a-Lago ahead of inauguration

US President-elect Donald Trump has invited a group of House Republicans to Mar-a-Lago ahead of his inauguration ceremony. According to the three sources involved in the planning, Trump and his team worked closely with the US Speaker of the House Mike Jonshon to finalise the members who would be invited, NBC News reported.

As per the report, between January 10 and 12, members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, lawmakers from states affected by the state and local tax (SALT) deduction cap, chairs of key committees and other groups of Republicans will visit Trump at his Florida estate.

The reports of the meeting came a day after a tense speaker vote on Friday in which Trump’s favourite Mike Johnson managed to hold on to his seat despite facing several internal challenges. Not only this, Republicans are also preparing to take up one massive reconciliation package later this spring which will most likely extend Trump’s 2017 tax laws.

Trump’s bid to unify GOP

The sources told NBC News, that Trump is organising the event because he wants to make sure that Republicans across the different ideological spectrum, continue to remain unified and on the same page. Trump needs the GOP lawmakers united so that he can fulfil his legislative agendas when he returns to the White House.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson from Trump’s transition team did not immediately respond to the requests for comment about next weekend’s visits. However, the cracks within the party were evident during the Friday voting when members of the Freedom Caucus released a letter saying that they voted for Johnson “because of our steadfast support of President Trump.”

“We did this despite our sincere reservations regarding the Speaker’s track record over the past 15 months," the caucus furthered. Despite the difference, the GOP is more likely to have an easier time since the party holds a majority in both the House and the US Senate, with Trump at the helm of the executive branch.

However, Republicans do have a fragile majority in the House. Hence, the party cannot afford to have several defectors. During the speaker vote, three GOP lawmakers — Reps. Keith Self of Texas, Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Ralph Norman of South Carolina — initially voted for someone other than Johnson for speaker. Self and Norman eventually changed their decision just minutes before they cast their first vote, saving Johnson’s seat.

With inputs from agencies.