Republican lawmakers sprang an early birthday gift on former President Donald Trump when he traveled to Capitol Hill on Thursday to meet with them.

In his first visit to Capitol Hill since the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021, Trump met with Republicans to discuss campaign strategies ahead of the November election. Trump unequivocally praised House Speaker Mike Johnson and emphatically pledged to help Republicans “win big” in the upcoming election. Additionally, he declared his intention to make a bid to win every state.

The lawmakers surprised him with a birthday cake, according to reports.

“The meeting came on the eve of the former president’s 78th birthday and Senator Tommy Tuberville told Newsweek that Republicans presented him with a cake. It was reportedly chocolate,” the outlet said.

The outlet added:

[Senator] Mike Lee said the cake had “45” and “47” candles on it, a reference to his first term as president and the potential for him to be the 47th president, as well. Before blowing out the candles, Trump said he would make a wish that related to “everyone in this room,” according to Senator Cynthia Lummis.

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Representative Matt Gaetz characterized the House meeting as a “pep rally” for Trump, emphasizing unity within the party. Trump urged Republicans to come together and avoid internal conflicts, offering to support members in tough races through tele-townhalls and other means. However, he also acknowledged that he was supporting some of their opponents.

During his address, Trump discussed several controversial topics, such as border security, China, and abortion. Regarding abortion, he recognized that the issue has had an impact on past elections for the Republican Party. He stressed the importance of implementing “common sense” policies that incorporate exceptions for cases of rape, incest, and when the life of the mother is at risk, Newsweek reported.

Trump plans to spend his birthday in the battleground state of Michigan, where he will address The People’s Convention, which is being hosted by Turning Point USA. The MAGA Conservative Coalition has planned a MAGA Boat Parade on Saturday on Lake St. Clair.

In a significant shift, Trump has regained the lead from President Joe Biden in a crucial swing state that he won in 2016 but narrowly lost in 2020, according to a new survey.

Fox News reported that the new Marist College Poll found that Trump is leading Biden 47–45 percent in Pennsylvania, though that is well within the survey’s margin of error.

Democratic-turned-independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. polled at 3% in the survey, with Green Party candidate Jill Stein and independent Cornel West each at 1% and 2% undecided.

Among the smaller pool of likely voters in the upcoming presidential election, the Republican nominee is maintaining a 48% to 46% lead over the Democratic incumbent in a multi-candidate race, Fox News reported.

In 2016, Trump achieved a historic win by becoming the first Republican in almost thirty years to carry Pennsylvania. This state is traditionally considered part of the Democratic stronghold in the northeastern and midwestern regions.

Trump’s victory over two-time presidential loser Hillary Clinton was narrow in the state, but it was nonetheless an impressive victory.

Some four years later, though, Biden narrowly carried his native state.

The poll from Marist, conducted June 3-6, points to problems for Biden with parts of the Democratic Party’s base.

“While still strong, Biden has lost his formidable support among black voters. 68% break for Biden to 23% for Trump. Biden handily won the support of most black voters in the 2020 presidential election, 92% to 7% for Trump,” an analysis of the polling data said.

The latest poll shows a surge in support for Trump among voters under the age of 45 in Pennsylvania. In the previous election, Biden won this group by 24 points, but the recent survey suggests that Biden’s lead over Trump has narrowed to just two points.

But the survey also found that, “Trump’s advantage among older voters has evaporated. He carried voters 45 or older by 12 percentage points in 2020. Now, three percentage points separate Trump (48%) and Biden (45%) among this group.”

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