“I May Even Decide to Beat Them a Third Time” Says Trump

The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) is a place where Republican presidential hopefuls test the waters for the next election, but the only candidate who emerged as a serious contender for 2024 was former President Trump.

This weekend in Florida Trump all but said to his loyal followers that he would run for president in 2024.

Winning the election in 2016, and claiming he won in 2020, Trump said he would win the presidency a third time in 2024 if he decided to run. The proclamation caused a standing ovation by the CPAC attendees. He added that Melania would be a great future first lady and that she sends everyone her love.

Trump riled up the audience even more in his closing statements by saying “We will win back the Senate, and win back Congress, and win back the White House with a Republican president, and I wonder who that will be?”

“Who, who, who will that be, I wonder?”

A Washington Post Times poll found that 55 percent of conference attendees supported Trump’s election in 2024, with Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida receiving 21% of their support. Vice President Mike Pence only received 1% of their support if Trump’s name was not on the list.

Not forming a third Party

Trump started his speech by clearing the air about his starting a third political party.

“I am not starting a third party….. We have the Republican Party,” saying the Republican Party was more united than ever.

Trump then named the seven Republican Senators and ten Republican members of Congress that voted for his impeachment. Calling out Rep. David Valadao last, he declared that RINOs will destroy the Republican Party and that they will destroy America.

“I will be actively working to elect strong, tough, smart Republican leaders,” said Trump. Then referring to himself in the third person he said that “President Trump’s endorsement is the most powerful asset in politics,” a quote he heard earlier. He backed the quote up by saying that of the 122 candidates he endorsed in the 2020 election, 120 won their races.

Still ruminating about the November election, Trump said it did not make sense that he won 11 million more votes than in 2016 and was still not declared the winner. In fact Trump did win more votes than any Republican presidential candidate ever at 74 million votes, but President Joseph Biden topped that number receiving 81 million votes and also winning the Electoral College.

Trump gave equal time in his speech criticizing Biden saying that this has had the most disastrous first month of any American President in history.  He criticized Biden for rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement,  the World Health Organization and pulling out of the Keystone Pipeline.

Criticizing Biden for stopping construction of his border wall, he referred back to his speech in 2015 announcing his candidacy when he said that Mexico was not sending us their best and finest but gang members and criminals. Trump’s speech throughout leaned heavily on his anti-immigration policy successes and beliefs.

He urged the Republican Party to change the voting rules if they wanted to win elections. Trump advocated completely eliminating early voting, requiring Voter ID and signature matching. He also wants every voter to prove they are a citizen and wants to see the end of absentee ballots unless the person is too sick or on vacation.

Democrats in power, Trump said, will promote socialism that ultimately leads to communism. “Just look at what happened to Venezuela,” he said.