At a Conservative Political Action Conference filled with 2024 presidential hopefuls, the former President of the United States will have the last word.
Former President Donald J. Trump will deliver an afternoon speech at CPAC, his first major appearance since leaving the White House in January, where he is expected to talk about the future of the Republican party, while also slamming President Joe Biden's attempts to undo his immigration policies.
According to an excerpt of the speech obtained by Fox News, Trump will commit to staying in the Republican party rather than form his own party: "We are not starting new parties, and we will not be dividing our power and our strength. Instead, we will be united and strong like never before."
Trump is also expected to slam critics, such as Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), who voted to impeach the president for a second time in January, while also laying out a path to retaking Congress in the 2022 midterms.
The former president has kept a relatively low profile since leaving the White House and moving to Palm Beach, Florida, last month. The 45th president's speech comes nearly two months after a pro-Trump mob stormed the U.S. Capitol as Congress was meeting to certify the results of the November election, which Trump and his supporters claimed was stolen – a topic that was pervasive throughout CPAC weekend. Trump was impeached for a second time, accused by House Impeachment Managers of "incitement of insurrection" for his rhetoric leading up to the Jan. 6 riot, including a speech he delivered immediately prior, but he was acquitted by the Senate.
Trump has a long history with CPAC – he was a speaker in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015, where he made a name for himself in conservative political circles, before eventually announcing his run for president.
At this year's CPAC, many 2024 hopefuls took the stage ("The race for 2024 will start at CPAC," said organizer Matt Schlapp.), including Sens. Josh Hawley (R-MO), Rick Scott (R-FL), Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Tom Cotton (R-AK), as well as former Trump officials such as Mike Pompeo, but Trump was a pervasive presence throughout the weekend before ever taking the stage.
"Let me tell you right now, Donald J. Trump ain't going anywhere," Cruz said Friday, who spoke at CPAC instead of attending President Biden's tour of winter storm devastation in his home state of Texas.
Hawley drew a loud ovation from the crowd when he talked about his vote to overturn the election results on Jan. 6: "On Jan. 6, I objected during the Electoral College certification, maybe you heard about it."
"I did. I stood up and I said we ought to have a debate about election integrity," Hawley said, adding, "What was the result of that? I was called a traitor."
There is no evidence of widespread election fraud in the 2020 election, a statement which has been backed up by a number of officials, including Trump's former attorney general William Barr and former Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Christopher Krebs.
The convention featured "Make America Great Again" hats by the thousands, Trump flags and other merchandise abound, and even a gold-painted six-foot-tall statue of the former president entitled "Trump and His Magic Wand."
Other speakers included staunch Trump allies such as House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert, North Carolina Reps. Ted Budd and Madison Cawthorn, and Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz.
A number of lawmakers sparked controversy for skipping Friday's votes on the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, voting by proxy instead, to attend CPAC instead, including Reps. Budd, Cawthorn, and Gaetz.
Will President Biden be paying attention to his predecessor's speech? Not so much, says the White House. Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters that "our focus is certainly not on what President Trump is saying" at the convention.
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Trump to Make First Post-Presidential Speech at CPAC Sunday - Bay News 9
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