Donald Trump returns to Washington for first time since Capitol riots, repeats poll lies

Former President Donald Trump was in Washington, D.C. Tuesday for the first time since leaving office, vigorously repeating his false election claims that sparked the Jan. 6 insurrection at the nearby Capitol.

Trump spoke before an audience of hundreds gathered for the America First Policy Institute's two-day America First Agenda Summit.

"I always say I ran the first time and I won. Then I ran a second time and I did much better, Trump said," insisting despite all evidence that he had won in 2020.

And he continued to tease his plans for the future, telling his cheering crowd, “What a disgrace it was. But we may just have to do it again."

Federal and state election officials from both parties and Trump’s own attorney general have said there is no credible evidence the 2020 election was tainted. The former president’s allegations of fraud were also roundly rejected by courts, including by judges appointed by Trump.

Composed of former Trump administration officials and allies, the America First group is widely seen as an “administration in waiting” that could quickly move to the West Wing if Trump should run again and win.

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Trump delivered what was billed as a "policy address," focusing in large part on themes of law and order and what he characterized as the decline of the country and rise of violent crime.

"Our country is now a cesspool of crime. We have blood, death and suffering on a scale once unthinkable because of the Democrat Party's effort to destroy and dismantle law enforcement all throughout America," he said, resurrecting the dark rhetoric that he used successfully in 2016.

The former president called for a return to "stop and frisk" policing policies, the death penalty for drug dealers and the prohibition of transgender females competing in women's athletic competitions.

Trump's appearance in the nation's capital — his first trip back since Jan. 20, 2021, when President Joe Biden was sworn into office despite Trump's frantic efforts to remain in power — comes as allies have urged him to spend more time talking about his vision for the future and less relitigating the 2020 election as he prepares to announce an expected 2024 White House campaign.