ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Taking the stage for the first time since leaving office, former President Donald Trump on Sunday called for GOP unity, even as he exacerbated intra-party divisions by attacking fellow Republicans and promoting lies about the election in a speech that made clear he intends to remain a dominant political force.
Speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference, where he has been hailed as a returning hero, Trump blasted his successor, President Joe Biden, and tried to lay out a vision for the future of the GOP that revolves firmly around him, despite his loss in November.
“Do you miss me yet?” Trump said after taking the stage to his old rally soundtrack and cheers from the supportive crowd.
Trump, in his speech, tried to downplay the civil war gripping the party over the extent to which Republicans should embrace him, even as he unfurled an enemies list, calling out by name the 10 House Republicans and seven GOP senators who voted to impeach or convict him for inciting the U.S. Capitol riot. He ended by singling out Rep. Liz Cheney, the No. 3 House Republican, who has faced tremendous backlash in Wyoming for saying Trump should no longer play a role in the party or headline the event.
While he insisted the division was merely a spat “between a handful of Washington, D.C., establishment political hacks and everybody else, all over the country,” Trump had a message for the incumbents who had dared to cross him: “Get rid of ’em all.”
Meantime, Trump won the CPAC straw poll on Sunday, with 55 percent of respondents saying they would vote for him in a hypothetical 2024 primary. 21 percent said they’d vote for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and 4 percent said they’d go with South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R).
WATCH:
Watch @JMcLaughlinSTK announce the results of the #CPAC2021 Straw Poll. #AmericaUnCanceled pic.twitter.com/8TuN2bjXjm
— CPAC 2021 (@CPAC) February 28, 2021
The conference, held this year in Orlando instead of the Washington suburbs to evade COVID-19 restrictions, served as a tribute to Trump and Trumpism, complete with a golden statue in his likeness on display (pictured right). Speakers, including many potential 2024 hopefuls, argued that the party must embrace the former
president and his followers, even after the deadly insurrection at the Capitol on Jan. 6.
They also repeated in panel after panel his unfounded claims that he lost reelection only because of mass voter fraud, even though such claims have been rejected by judges, Republican state officials and Trump’s own administration.
Trump, too, continued to repeat what Democrats have dubbed the “big lie,” calling the election “rigged” and insisting that he won in November, even though he lost by more than 7 million votes.
Snapshots from Trump’s speech were posted to the CPAC2021 Twitter page:
We will take back the House ☑️ We will win the Senate ☑️ A Republican President will take back the White House ☑️ #CPAC2021 #AmericaUnCanceled pic.twitter.com/LgYBAnJ3Jl
— CPAC 2021 (@CPAC) February 28, 2021
President Trump explains what we need to do to deal with big tech. #CPAC2021 #AmericaUnCanceled pic.twitter.com/CHGeLUHqvv
— CPAC 2021 (@CPAC) February 28, 2021
“Another one of the urgent issues facing the Republican Party is that of ensuring fair, honest, and secure elections.” #CPAC2021 #AmericaUnCanceled pic.twitter.com/Qo2lQNCqrC
— CPAC 2021 (@CPAC) February 28, 2021
Watch full speech here:
#donaldtrump delivers
“Powerful and Vengeful”
Speech at the 2021 #CPAC
by #StandUpComedian@JLCauvinhttps://t.co/dYwOpmOous via @YouTube— AFXM.COM (@AFXM) February 25, 2021
(Copyright 2021 WBAP/KLIF. All rights reserved)
