Speaker after speaker at the Conservative Political Action Conference last week, commonly known as CPAC, pledged loyalties to former President Donald J. Trump as their preferred candidate for another election run in 2024.
Those advocates had lots of company among the many enthusiastic attendees.
According to a Washington Times CPAC Straw Poll 2024, 95% wanted to continue Trump’s policies, seven out of 10 surveyed wanted him to run again, and 55% favored Trump as their pick if the election were held today.
GOP Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was the second highest presidential choice with 21% favoring if both men were running. Republican South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem followed at a far third with 4%.
Without Trump in the field, DeSantis was the choice of 43%, followed by Noem at 11%.
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz was correct when he told the audience on Friday, "Let me tell you something: Donald Trump ain’t going anywhere."
Closing CPAC on Sunday, former President Trump sent a strong message that while he may be out of the Oval Office now, he has no plans to make this a permanent move.
America has "never been on a journey so successful," Trump said… one that is "far from being over."
"Let there be no doubt," Trump added, "America will be better and stronger than ever before." He announced that having "won the election twice," he might "decide to beat them for the third time."
As expected, Mr. Trump was highly critical of the new Biden administration, characterizing its first month as "even worse than imagined"…the most disastrous in history.
Among many examples:
- Biden’s cancellation of the Keystone XL pipeline cost the nation 42,00 jobs; destroyed energy independence that Trump’s administration had achieved; and promises a disastrous Green New Deal policy of bird-killing windmills. The result will cause blackouts such as occurred in California and Texas, harm the environment, and leave vast land areas covered with costly dysfunctional rusting structures.
- Whereas the Trump administration had secured America’s southern border with nearly 500 miles of completed wall, Biden has halted construction; created a self-inflicted terrorist, national security, and Covid-19 threat; restored catch and release of dangerous criminals; and encouraged sanctuary cities with no immigration enforcement.
- Trump reminded the nation that it was his administration’s "Operation Warp Speed" that led to the development of three "modern-day miracle vaccines" in record time, (including new FDA approval of one innovated by Johnson & Johnson). Twenty million vaccinations were administered before leaving office, including one that Joe Biden received in late December, but now appears to have forgotten.
- Ironically, as Biden opens the border, he has bowed to teachers’ union demands to keep schools closed. Trump urges that it is essential to get children back to school immediately.
- Trump warns that Socialist cancel culture tyranny is attacking America’s core values and freedoms. We must break up Big Tech monopoly attacks on free speech; protect Second Amendment rights that are under Democrat assault; and support law enforcement…not defund the police.
- The Trump administration had made America more secure from foreign adversaries: rebuilding the military which had deteriorated under Obama-Biden; rejected endless wars (no U.S. soldier killed in Afghanistan in the past year); negotiated Middle East peace; and established the Space Force…whereas Biden lifted the travel ban on terrorist countries; and plans to renegotiate Trump’s successful Iran sanctions.
- Biden will rejoin the Paris Climate Accord – while China will be exempted from reducing greenhouse emissions for another 10 years. President Biden will also return $500 million annual American funding to the World Health Organization that Trump cut.
Election integrity topped The Washington Times poll list as a CPAC member concern, followed by Constitutional rights and immigration.
Mr. Trump devoted much passion to a need for election reform so that the "rigging" that he claimed had a "massive impact on 2020 [presidential results] won’t ever be allowed to happen again."
The Democrat-proposed legislative "HR-1 monster" and corrupt mail-in voting must be stopped; and voter ID "like the Democrat convention required for its own attendees" must be required…along with signature matching and citizenship validation.
Trump made it clear that rumors he might plan to create and head a new party were once again "fake news." Splitting the Republican party, he warned, would benefit only the Democratic opposition.
He also emphasized that he would assume a key role in supporting “tough, strong” Republican Congressional leaders in the 2022 mid-term elections, and that a Trump endorsement is recognized to be "the most powerful endorsement in politics." In doing so, he noted that his candidate support was instrumental in Republican 2020 wins of all 26 toss-up House seats and held a 50-50 Senate.
Trump left no doubt of his intent to primary those mid-term members of his party out of running who had voted with Democrats to impeach him in the aftermath of the January 6 Capitol riot. Included are 10 House and seven Senate Republicans who he called out by name.
One of the most prominent faces of the impeachment, Wyoming’s Rep. Liz Cheny, received special condemnation.
CPAC serves as a key kick-off event to start a grueling mid-term campaign marathon. In preparation, the Republican 2020 campaign committee has been converted and renamed the "Make America Great Again PAC," and is now linked to the "Save America PAC," from which the former president has been sending out statements and political endorsements.
As for his own 2024 plans, Trump wrapped up his speech referring to a time when "a triumphant president will make a return to the White House," not-so-coyly contemplating, "I wonder who that will be."
Larry Bell is an endowed professor of space architecture at the University of Houston where he founded Sasakawa International Center for Space Architecture and the graduate space architecture program. His latest of 10 books, "What Makes Humans Truly Exceptional," (2021) is available on Amazon along with all others. Read Larry Bell's Reports — More Here.
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