What to watch as 2024 GOP hopefuls converge at Faith and Freedom Coalition event

Republican 2024 presidential candidates will share the stage for the first time this weekend at the Faith and Freedom Coalition’s annual gathering of conservatives in Washington, D.C.

Former President Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence and others will be attending the Road to Majority Conference, which is being held on the heels of Trump’s federal indictment and Hunter Biden’s plea deal.

Here are five things to watch as 2024 Republicans head to the nation’s capital:

How does Trump talk about his indictment?

It’s been roughly two weeks since the former president was charged with 37 felony counts related to his handling of records at Mar-a-Lago as well as his efforts to block the government from recovering the documents.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) alleges Trump, who had brought classified documents containing military and national security secrets to his Florida estate, showed those secrets to people who weren’t authorized to see the material and later sought to stop federal officials from obtaining them.

The former president pleaded not guilty to the federal indictment and has largely defended his handling of the classified information. He has also lashed out at special counsel Jack Smith, calling him a “deranged ‘psycho'” and “Trump Hater.”

“Because I had boxes. I want to go through the boxes and get all my personal things out,” Trump told Fox News’s Bret Baier when questioned Monday about why he didn’t readily give documents to the government when he was asked to. “I don’t want to hand that over to [the National Archives] yet. And I was very busy, as you’ve sort of seen.”

One thing to watch for is how he talks about the indictment at the event — and whether other candidates touch on it at all.

Does anyone bring up the Hunter Biden news?

President Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, made headlines Tuesday after news broke that he would be pleading guilty in connection with several charges pertaining to not timely paying several years of his taxes, and for obtaining a firearm amid drug use.

Hunter Biden will plead guilty to the tax charges and agree to enter into a diversion agreement relating to the firearm possession charge, though the plea deal is subject to a judge’s approval. 

Republicans have slammed the agreement, with Trump likening it to a “traffic ticket” and others calling it a “sweetheart deal.” A number of 2024 Republicans have already denounced the news and alleged that the DOJ uses a double standard between Republicans and Democrats.

What kind of reception do non-Trump candidates get?

Dueling factions of the GOP will come together this weekend, with attendees including Trump, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.), House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (Calif.) and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

Trump is scheduled to speak during the “Patriot Gala” at the end of the three-day affair Saturday — signaling it’s very much the former president’s show.

Some of Trump’s Republican allies will also be in attendance — including Sen. Lindsey Graham (S.C.), former Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake and Rep. Byron Donalds (Fla.) — raising the stakes for his challengers as they look to break through in the 2024 field.

Do any candidates go after Trump?

Though some contenders edged toward criticizing Trump after his federal indictment, most are largely still hesitant to take him on — save for Christie.

The former New Jersey governor has shown no signs of letting up on Trump. His latest attack came Tuesday, when he said, “maybe [Trump] could have skipped a couple of rounds of golf and gone through the boxes to respond to a subpoena from a grand jury.”

But it’s unclear so far how Christie’s attacks will register among voters and whether his outspokenness boosts him at all. He is still considered a long shot in the 2024 race.

But the federal indictment may be having an impact on Trump’s standing with Republicans. A CNN poll released Tuesday found that 47 percent of GOP voters and voters that lean Republican said their first pick for president would be Trump, a decline of 6 points since the network polled voters last month. 

How do the attendees talk about abortion?

At a time when Republicans have taken hits at the polls over abortion, the event has been billed as “the nation’s premier pro-faith, pro-family event.” 

The 2024 GOP candidates have offered differing answers and approaches to the issue. DeSantis, for example, signed a six-week ban in Florida earlier this year, but while Trump has praised the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, he’s dodged questions about whether he’d support federal abortion restrictions.

Saturday will mark the anniversary of the high court’s ruling that eliminated the constitutional right to an abortion — a decision many conservatives applaud.

But the ruling has served as an effective voter turnout mechanism for Democrats, and some in the GOP are even urging candidates to moderate their stances or pivot on the issue altogether in order to avoid a repeat of the party’s underwhelming 2022 midterm results.