Trump to speak at North Carolina GOP convention

Photo taken in Arlington, Virginia, the United States, on Aug. 24, 2020 shows screens displaying U.S. President Donald Trump speaking during the 2020 Republican National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

Former U.S. President Donald Trump was planning to return to the campaign trail, holding two rallies in June that will be followed by another event around the July 4 holiday, according to reports.

WASHINGTON, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Former U.S. President Donald Trump will speak at the North Carolina state Republican convention in June, resuming his campaign rallies for GOP candidates facing the 2022 midterm elections, the state's Republican Party announced Monday.

"We are honored to welcome President Trump to our convention as the Republican Party launches our campaign to retake Congress and the Senate in the 2022 midterms," North Carolina GOP Chairman Michael Whatley said in a statement.

Trump will address the convention dinner, which will be closed to press, on June 5 in Greenville.

Trump won North Carolina by a thin margin in the 2020 presidential election, at which time incumbent Republican senator Thom Tillis narrowly kept his senate seat. Democrats are now eyeing the state's retiring U.S. senator Richard Burr's seat to consolidate and expand their razor-thin Senate majority.

Trump's scheduled appearance in North Carolina, which will give him yet another platform to address his supporters after he spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Florida in February, came amid reports that the former president was planning to return to the campaign trail, holding two rallies in June that will be followed by another event around the July 4 holiday.

Despite his election defeat, Trump remains a vastly influential figure in the GOP and has recently solidified his grip on the party after House GOP members dumped congresswoman Liz Cheney, a heavyweight critic of Trump's, from party leadership for her repeated denunciation of Trump's unsubstantiated election fraud claims and replaced her with Trump loyalist Elise Stefanik, representative from New York.

Trump has also been teasing the idea of a potential presidential campaign in the 2024 election cycle, saying that he will make an announcement at a proper time, and that his supporters will be "very happy" about his decision.

A pro-Trump super political action committee will hold its first fundraising event Saturday at the former president's golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, Politico reported, citing people familiar with the planning. Trump himself will attend the event.