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Former United States President Donald Trump told the CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference) in Orlando on Sunday (Monday New Zealand time) that he could run again for president in 2024 and that he would remain a Republican rather than start a third political party.
After falsely claiming that he had won reelection last year, he said: “Who knows? I could even decide to beat them [the Democrats] for the third time, ”a statement that drew loud cheers from convention attendees.
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Former United States President Donald Trump addresses the Conservative Political Action Conference held in Orlando, Florida. Started in 1974, CPAC brings together conservative organizations, activists, and world leaders to discuss issues important to them.
At the beginning of his speech, the former president said he was staying with the Republican Party to fight what he claimed was Democratic socialism, “which we know leads to communism.”
“We are not starting new games,” he said. “I’m not starting a new party.”
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Trump spent much of the speech criticizing the Biden Administration for its policies on immigration, energy and other issues, which he called “a destructive agenda.”
In a survey of CPAC attendees released just before Trump’s speech, 68 percent said they wanted Trump to run again in 2024, a lower number than expected considering his 97 percent approval of the job among participants. The other 32 percent said they shouldn’t run or had no opinion.
In a separate poll of potential Republican presidential candidates in 2024, Trump was the pick of 55 percent of those in attendance. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis came in second with 21 percent, with all other candidates in the single digits.
John Raoux / AP
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis salutes being featured at CPAC.
However, with Trump out of the mix, DeSantis was first with 43 percent. South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem came in second with 11 percent; Donald Trump Jr. got 8 percent in third place.
The results highlighted the Florida governor’s difficult path of laying the groundwork for a potential campaign while still being viewed as a loyal Trump acolyte.
US Senators Rick Scott and Marco Rubio scored 1 percent or less in both polls.
Sam Thomas / Orlando Sentinel / AP
Tommy Zegan walks away after moving his golden statue of Donald Trump across the street from CPAC at the Hyatt Regency in Orlando, Florida.
Hours earlier, thousands of people both inside and outside the 2021 Conservative Political Action Conference were anxiously awaiting comments from Trump, who closed an event indelibly marked by his electoral falsehoods and grievances.
The crowds grew throughout the day, starting with dozens in the morning, to thousands in the afternoon, about three hours before Trump spoke. Most were not registered at the conference, so they could not witness the speech.
John Raoux / AP
Marcia English leads a group of Trump supporters in a song outside the convention center.
Amid blaring car horns along International Drive and speakers on adjacent sidewalks listening to Trump anthems like YMCA, Jeanette Mospaw of Winter Haven found a shady spot in the heat to wave her “Keep America Great” flag.
“There’s nothing better than all the Trump people put together,” said Mospaw, who traveled with a friend to Orlando for the day.
He said he had been to two Trump rallies and was in Washington, DC, on January 6, just yards from the United States Capitol when insurgents stormed the building.
He said he expected Trump to declare his bid for the presidency in 2024.
“I want to know from him how he’s going to get back,” Mospaw said.
“I think he’s going to back Biden. He has to. It is in their DNA. Of course we all feel the same and he will try to lift us up at the same time. “
John Raoux / AP
A Trump supporter stands outside the Conservative Political Action Conference.
Some signs along International Drive heard the QAnon conspiracy theory, one of which read “Fear Less, LQve More” and another said “GQP.”
Others waved Trump 2024 flags, one said “He’ll be back,” and merchants sold T-shirts disparaging President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Within the conference, former acting US Attorney General Matt Whitaker falsely claimed that the election was stolen from Trump and warned that Democrats were seeking to extend the counting period after Election Day to “find” the ballots. .
However, the reason many states did not finish their counts for days was because Republican legislatures required that mail-in ballots not be counted early.
John Raoux / AP
Supporters clap and salute as the former president of the United States is introduced at CPAC.
Robert Unanue, the CEO of Goya Foods, called Trump “the real, legitimate, and still current president of the United States.”
Goya’s board of directors has ordered that Unanue not speak to the media without their approval after his repeated false claims of electoral fraud.
Speakers have been overshadowed for the most part by the swirl of activity inside and outside the Hyatt Regency Orlando, including a gilded statue of Trump, the Proud Boys promoting their far-right alternative conference across the city, and Trump’s pardoned associate, Roger Stone, dancing with followers.
Mask use and social distancing have been spotty, with attendees booing organizers asking them to follow Hyatt’s policies.
An accredited member of the media, a YouTube personality, was asked to leave for safety for repeatedly refusing to wear a mask.
Orange County, however, said it sent members of the task force to the hotel and confirmed that Hyatt was trying to enforce the rules.
The Hyatt hotel chain has faced increasing criticism for hosting the event, with “#boycotthyatt” trending on Twitter.
A Hyatt spokesperson told Fox Business Sunday that the company was trying to create “a highly inclusive environment” and that it believes in “the right of individuals and organizations to peacefully express their views, regardless of the degree to which the perspectives of those who organize meetings and events in our hotels align with ours. “
Orlando sentinel
