Donald Trump arrived on Capitol Hill on Wednesday with wife Melania for meetings with Republicans and to pay their respects to Jimmy Carter.
The 78-year-old president-elect said it was ‘great’ to be back in Congress before heading into the Capitol Rotunda and for talks with the GOP.
Trump is in Washington D.C. to pay respects to the mourn the late President Carter at his funeral on Thursday.Â
In just 12 days, he will take the oath of office on the steps outside the building and be sworn in, capping off a historic political comeback.
The incoming first couple walked into the Capitol Rotunda and stood by his casket for a moment of silence.
Melania, dressed in black, held her husband’s hand as they walked through Congress in front of watching reporters and photographers.
Their appearance came just hours after Capitol Police arrested a man for trying to enter the complex with a machete and three knives.Â
Carter has been lying in state in Washington D.C. since Tuesday afternoon ahead of his state funeral.
Dignitaries from around the world, including the living former presidents, are expected to attend.
President Joe Biden, 82, in one of his last acts in office will delivery a eulogy before his trip to Rome.Â
Donald Trump arrived on Capitol Hill on Wednesday with wife Melania for meetings with Republicans and to pay their respects to Jimmy Carter
The incoming first couple walked into the Capitol Rotunda and stood by his casket for a moment of silence
Trump is in Washington D.C. to pay respects to the mourn the late President Carter at his funeral on Thursday
The 78-year-old president-elect said it was ‘great’ to be back in Congress before heading into the Capitol Rotunda and for talks with the GOP
Before entering the rotunda, Trump also told reporters that he’s ‘looking’ at doing one bill versus two bills in a massive reconciliation package to fund the government and advance several of his main initiatives.
‘It doesn’t matter, we’re going to get the result’ he went on adding ‘Make American Great Again!’
His vision for a ‘big beautiful bill’ includes combining border security measures and extending the tax cuts he introduced back in 2017.Â
Melania, dressed in black, held her husband’s hand as they walked through Congress in front of watching reporters and photographers
Their appearance came just hours after Capitol Police arrested a man for trying to enter the complex with a machete and three knives
Donald and Melania stand by Jimmy Carter’s flag-draped casket for a moment of reflection in the Capitol RotundaÂ
‘We must Secure our Border, Unleash American Energy, and Renew the Trump Tax Cuts, which were the largest in History, but we will make it even better,’ he previously stated.
‘NO TAX ON TIPS. IT WILL ALL BE MADE UP WITH TARIFFS, AND MUCH MORE, FROM COUNTRIES THAT HAVE TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF THE U.S. FOR YEARS,’ he continued.
The ‘no tax on tips’ provision was a promise he made on the campaign trail.
The president-elect will begin his second term in the White House on January 20 after the GOP-controlled 119th Congress convened on Friday.
But Republicans have very little margin for error in their rowdy conference as they set out to achieve Trump’s agenda.
They hold just a three-seat majority in the Senate and will temporarily have an almost non-existent majority in the House once the president-elect takes office.
‘Republicans must unite, and quickly deliver these Historic Victories for the American People. Get smart, tough, and send the Bill to my desk to sign as soon as possible,’ Trump wrote on Truth Social.
