Donald Trump is heading to Arizona for a political rally following what has been a particularly difficult week for the former president.
Trump is due to speak in Prescott Valley on Friday to show his support for Arizona GOP gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, a former TV anchor who has continually supported the false claim the 2020 election was rigged as a result of widespread voter fraud.
Trump was originally scheduled to hold the Arizona rally on July 16, but the event was postponed following the death of his ex-wife Ivana Trump on July 14.
Ivana Trump's funeral was held in Manhattan on Wednesday.
Donald Trump paid respects to his first wife, who he was married to for 15 years between 1977 and 1992, ahead of the July 20 service.
"A very sad day, but at the same time a celebration of a wonderful and beautiful life," Trump wrote on social media.
The following evening after the funeral, the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 attack presented its eighth live hearing, accusing the former president of dereliction of duty and a violation of his oath of office over his inaction during the insurrection.
The proceedings focused on the 187 minutes between Trump's "fight like hell" speech at the Ellipse in Washington D.C. on January 6 and him eventually telling his supporters to go home that afternoon.
During a majority of the three hours, Trump reportedly sat watching the violence unfold in the White House dining room and refused to listen to his advisors—including his own daughter Ivanka—who were urging him to condemn the attack and tell his supporters to end the riot.
A number of witnesses also said that Trump made no attempt to call law enforcement or national security departments during the January 6 attack to request help in stopping the violence.
The hearing has increased the further increased the pressure on Trump as the panel aims to show the former president was criminally responsible for the January 6 attack after months of false election fraud claims, suggesting he may have committed a range of offenses such as of obstruction of Congress, seditious conspiracy, and witness tampering.
Trump still falsely maintains the last election was rigged, and said so in a Truth Social post following Thursday's hearing.
"I had an election Rigged and Stolen from me, and our Country. The USA is going to Hell. Am I supposed to be happy?" he wrote.
The same night Trump is in Arizona, former Vice President Mike Pence will be attending an event showing support for Lake's main opponent, Karrin Taylor Robson, a former Arizona Board of Regents who also has the backing of outgoing Arizona Governor Doug Ducey, who cannot run for reelection due to term limits.
Pence, whose relationship with Trump fell apart in the wake of the January 6 attack, issued a statement of endorsement for Robson on Monday, July 18.
The Arizona GOP gubernatorial primary on August 2 is seen as the start of a proxy war between Pence and Trump as both men ponder a potential 2024 White House run.
On one side, there is Pence and Robson representing a more traditional Republican campaign hoping to move on from 2020, with the other being Trump and Lake's MAGA-heavy endorsement of the so-called "big lie" that the last election was rigged.
"This is going to be the existential question for the Republican Party: Are we going to listen to a slightly different view than Donald Trump's? Right now, the standard-bearer for this is Mike Pence," Scott Jennings, a longtime GOP strategist, told the Associated Press.
Newsweek has reached out to Trump for comment.
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About the writer
Ewan Palmer is a Newsweek News Reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on US politics, domestic policy ... Read more
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