Donald Trump has quietly convened some of his wealthiest and highest-profile supporters for intimate dinners in recent weeks, where the groups have talked about the former president’s 2024 election plans — and debated when he should make his expected comeback bid official.

The gatherings have taken place in Houston, Nashville and, last Friday evening, in Las Vegas, where billionaire casino mogul and longtime Trump friend Phil Ruffin implored the ex-president to launch another run for the White House soon. The consensus has been that Trump should run again — the only question being when he should announce, with most echoing Ruffin’s view but others saying Trump would be better served by waiting until after the midterm elections…

The non-scripted and casual nature of the sit-downs have made for animated affairs. During the Nashville dinner, Trump and others present, including Georgia Senate candidate Herschel Walker, looked on as Graham and Rich engaged in a tense and prolonged back-and-forth over the coronavirus vaccine. Graham lavished praise on the vaccines and argued that Trump should talk about their development during his tenure every chance he got. Rich, meanwhile, vociferously criticized the injections.

Two people present recalled Rich jokingly suggesting that he buy a condo in South Carolina and waging a primary challenge to Graham, though another person disputed that account. One attendee said Trump appeared to enjoy seeing the two duke it out.