Trump reminded all those who wanted to move forward that he is still the most powerful voice within Republican politics, at the conclusion of the four-day Conservative Political Action Conference
Trump stated in his keynote speech Saturday night that he plans to run for the presidency a third time in 2024. Trump falsely claimed that his 2020 election loss was due to widespread voter fraud. There is no evidence. On Sunday, he won the overwhelming presidential preference straw poll by conference attendees.
Trump stated that he ran in 2024 because he had done it twice and would do it again. Trump has hinted at a 2024 campaign before, and his promise this time was not always clear.
Trump called Vladimir Putin, the Russian President, “smart” as he described Russian troops fighting with Ukrainian forces.
Trump declared Saturday that he was sure he is smart, and he repeated his praises of Putin’s leader in remarks. This was a double endorsement that so many Republicans avoided after the invasion. “But the problem is that our leaders are dumb. Dumb. So dumb.”
Trump supported the Ukrainian people, calling Volodymyr Zelenskyy the president of the country a “brave guy” and expressing his support, but he also pointed out his close ties to other top autocrats. He specifically referred to his friendship with Xi Jinping, China’s leader, and Kim Jong Un, North Korea’s leader.
Until Trump’s appearance lies about election fraud were an afterthought for most of the speakers. Trump’s applauding rhetoric towards Putin was not repeated by anyone. Some of the most prominent Republicans did not even mention Trump’s name.
Instead, the GOP’s most likely candidates for the 2024 presidential nomination, who are not Trump, unified behind an agenda that included more parental control over schools, opposition of pandemic-related mandates, and fierce rejection of “woken” culture. Although the message was delivered by more than half a dozen elected officials to thousands of activists mostly from white backgrounds at an event that often celebrates far-right rhetoric it does not mean that the party has abandoned Trumpism.
It’s far from the truth. Some of the conference’s less prominent speakers were familiar with the topic. In the halls, T-shirts that said “Trump won” were sold.
In the straw poll, Trump was ranked 59% and Florida Gov. 59%. Ron DeSantis had 28%. Nobody else had more that 2%.
DeSantis received 61% of the votes when asked if they preferred Trump would not run for office in 2024. No other candidate earned more than 6%. The straw poll did not reflect wider Republican sentiment, but only the opinions of the participants at the conference.
Trump aside, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was a popular choice of the crowd throughout the conference’s four-day duration. Nearly every time Ron DeSantis was mentioned or his image appeared on large screens, the audience applauded.
Matt Schlapp, conference organizer, said that Trump is still a dominant force but does not hold the party’s base.
“No. “No. Schlapp stated that it was overwhelming that people wanted him to run again. “But there are many opinions.”
While Trump’s most controversial supporters were given less-publicized speaking slots during the four-day event, they were not exempt. After being invited to a white nationalist conference, Rep. Majorie Greene (R-Ga.) appeared on a Saturday morning panel.
Trump gave Taylor Greene a warm shout-out during his speech, as he tallied down the Republican officials present.
Taylor Greene stated, “I refuse to silence,” earlier in the day as she railed against “Democratic communists.”
Despite Trump’s dominance at the top of the Republican Party’s, other party leaders are becoming more optimistic that they have found a forward-looking strategy for overcoming Trump extremism and expanding the party’s appeal in light of Congress’s imminent control.
It is essentially the same strategy that Virginia’s Republican Governor used. Glenn Youngkin used the same strategy last fall to win in the swing state, avoiding Trump’s biggest grievances and the false belief that 2020 was marred by voter fraud.
Florida Senator Marco Rubio stated Friday that there are “people who may not have voted in the same way as you did in a presidential election and they’re really mad.” “And that’s what I believe, despite all the negative things we’ve heard. The pendulum is swinging.”
Democrats are holding on to their paper-thin majority in the Senate and House, while voter sentiment has been swinging in a troubling direction since January 2021 when President Joe Biden was inaugurated. A AP-NORC poll was conducted February 18-21 and found that 70% of Americans felt the country was heading in the wrong direction. Only 44% of respondents said the exact same thing in April 2021.
CPAC was attended by some leading Republicans who were determined to oppose Trump’s embrace at the expense of Democrats.
Missouri Senator Josh Hawley tried to stop the certification of Biden’s electoral victory following the Jan. 6 Capitol Attack. He evaded a question about whether or not he would challenge Trump for a potential matchup in 2024.
Hawley stated that he had already said that he didn’t intend to run for the presidency. He declined to comment on whether Trump should run for president again in 2024. “I never give him any advice, even about this.”
Hawley said that it was wrong for Republicans to softly praise Putin. Let’s not forget that.
DeSantis, who also refuses to rule out a presidential bid in 2024 if Trump runs, didn’t mention Trump in his 20-minute speech, instead focusing on Trump’s resistance to vaccine mandates and masking.
Mike Pompeo, Trump’s former secretary-of-state, spoke about his work with the Trump administration. However, he didn’t repeat his recent flattering remarks about Putin. In which he called Putin “very capable” while claiming he has “enormous regard for him.”
Governor of South Dakota Kristi Noem was considered as a possible running mate for Trump in 2024. She spoke about the 2016 election and the unsubstantiated claims that Democrats in power “spied on” the Trump campaign. She quickly shifted to the future.
“We have some amazing fighters, such as President Donald Trump. He’s not the only one. Noem stated that the American people are on our side.
