Several Republican White House hopefuls are set to greet a conservative conference with hopes of making up ground against Donald Trump. But his shadow may be especially difficult to escape in the city where he was most recently indicted. Trump won’t speak at The Gathering, an Atlanta event by syndicated radio host Erick Erickson taking place Friday and Saturday about 10 miles from the jail where the former president has to surrender before next Friday on a racketeering indictment related to the 2020 election. Six of his 2024 rivals, meanwhile, are scheduled for onstage interviews with Erickson, an influential conservative who has been critical of the former president.
The timing sets up one more example of the struggle Trump’s GOP opponents face: He dominates the primary polls and media attention — especially on cable news and talk radio — even as he faces multiple criminal indictments for alleged actions before, during and after his presidency.
While they carry immense legal jeopardy, the four indictments seem to have hardened Trump’s support among core GOP voters, even as a majority of Americans disapprove of him. And many party loyalists who say they are open to alternatives still don’t want to hear criticisms of Trump.
“It’s hard for anybody to get any oxygen in the room with President Trump,” said Terry Lathan, a former Alabama Republican Party chairwoman who has previously backed Trump but now supports Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for the 2024 nomination.
“Donald Trump can be exhausting,” Lathan said. “But people will walk on broken glass to vote for the guy.”
DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley are set to appear Friday in the Atlanta neighborhood of Buckhead.
