Former President Donald Trump hinted at a possible run in 2024, stating the journey is “far from over” during the annual Conservative Political Action Conference held at the Hyatt Regency Orlando this weekend.
The sold-out conference — typically held in Washington — was relocated to Florida due to COVID-19 precautions. This year’s theme was “America Uncanceled.”
During his speech, Trump shut down rumors that he would be starting a new political party.
“That was fake news, fake news,” Trump said. “Who knows, I might even decide to beat them for the third time, Trump said.”
Trump said that states illegally changed the election rules without the approval of their state legislatures. This changed the outcome of the election, he said.
“One of the most urgent issues of the Republican party is that of ensuring fair, honest, and secure elections,” Trump said.
The crowd cheered.
CPAC attendees showed an overwhelming amount of support at the conference, with many stating this is a sign the Trump era is not over yet.
Trump said the Republican party has tremendous unity.
“Would you look at the crowds outside that want your seat so badly, they will take your seat within two seconds,” Trump said.
In CPAC’s annual straw poll, 95% of CPAC’s attendees said Republicans should continue Trump’s issue agenda and policies. Almost 70% said they wanted to see Trump run for president in 2024. Florida’s Gov. Ron Desantis came in second.
Kathleen Troia “K. T.” McFarland, a former government official, political candidate, and political commentator, said she talked to Trump on Friday night and he said he was looking forward to speaking. McFarland was Trump’s first National Security Advisor.
The former President’s CPAC speech was his first public speech since he left office in January. She said younger generations are a big part of the Republican Party’s future.
“It is Donald Trump’s party. He built this party. He brought in people who had never been political, so it’s Donald Trump’s party,” McFarland said. “You know what the future is, it’s energetic, it’s female, it’s Hispanic, it’s Asian, it’s black, it’s veterans, that’s the future.”
“We’re a nation of laws and the courts, and everything ruled Joe Biden is president. Fine. I’m taking my cards home, I’m gonna figure out how to win in 2022, the House, in the Senate, and I think we got a White House that’s Republican again,” McFarland said.
Guy Harper, a Black conservative American who was selling Trump gear outside of the convention center, said the Republican Party needs more “patriots.”
“We need to get people that have those values to run as Republicans, or the Patriot Party has to dwarf the Republican Party,” Harper said. “But the Republican Party as it stands today is, is right there, progressive light, it’s no good.”
He said he wanted Trump to run again in 2024.
“Why wouldn’t Trump have a chance? Trump is our best chance at winning 2024,” Harper said. “You see anyone else out there? He’s our best chance at winning 2024 without a doubt. Who’s gonna fight for us like Donald Trump? No one.”
U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn spoke Saturday night and said that Trump would not say that he’s the leader of the Republican party, but that the American people are the leaders of the party.
“Something we need to remind a lot of the Republicans on the right, who are in Washington right now, elected officials, is that they are not the Republican Party,” Cawthorn said. “The Republican Party is the 74 million.”
Kaitlin Bennett, a gun-rights activist known for bringing a rifle to Kent State and travelling to college campuses to talk to students about controversial issues, said the future of the Republican Party is Trump.
“It’s 100% Donald Trump,” Bennett said. “It’s people like Donald Trump, it’s people like Marjorie Taylor Greene, it’s people like me who just want to be able to live without having this bullcrap forced down our throats.”
Bennett said people love Trump because he is relatable and puts Americans first. Trump wasn’t a politician before he ran for president.
“We’ve been taken advantage of for so long, and we’re tired of it, and Donald Trump doesn’t put up with it, that’s why,” she said.
Bennett said no Republican will have a chance at winning in 2024 unless election laws are fixed.
“There is no chance that a Republican will ever win again if we don’t fix our election laws,” Bennett said. “We have to focus on election laws, integrity, voter ID, and then we can talk about who to put up there for 2024,” Bennett said.
Bennett said the future of the Republican party is people like her.
“I think Gen Z and younger, they’re gonna say, this is weird we don’t like this, there’s gonna be a counter-culture to what’s going on, and they don’t realize it,” Bennet said. “You keep shoving it in people’s faces, it’s gonna come back to bite them in the butt, might not be soon, but eventually it will, and I’m excited for that day,” Bennett said.
The morning before Trump spoke, some of his supporters stood outside the hotel and cars drove past honking to show support — a group of protestors were also present.
Hippie Malone said he was there to protest because the country is in a pandemic. He said he hates Trump because of what he has done to the American people.
“In the four years of his presidency he made $1.6 million dollars off of taxpayers by continually to golf at his resorts,” Malone said.
He said he would have liked to see that money go to communities in need.
“… Black communities, Spanish communities, Asian Communities,” Malone said. “I’d like to see it go into lower anybody communities, go back to the hands of the worker, go back to the hands of real American citizens.”
He said people in Congress are the issue and said America needs to have more elected officials that are average Americans who have real problems, not someone who has been in Congress for decades.
“The politicians don’t give a fuck about us, this whole left to right party system is a whole illusion of freedom because when one thing fails they can blame the other party and it keeps the American people divided.”
A protestor named Nate said he doesn’t think the election was rigged but the electoral college should be abolished.
“I think the electoral college should be abolished and I think we should have right choice voting instead so at least that way there can be a more fair and actually demographic election going on.”
Joe Sanchez said the future of the Republican Party is dead and a new party will emerge. Sanchez, who said he is a supporter of QAnon, said he hopes Trump is being inaugurated as the 19th president of the Republic on March 4.
“If you notice when he travels around on the airplane it’s NA there’s no name it’s not Air Force One,” Sanchez said. “If you look at some of the videos from what I’m understanding, there’s a Castle Rock Studios in Culver City California where the West Wing was filmed, a lot of stuff is being filmed there regarding Joe Biden it’s just a big hoax.”
In response to Sanchez, Samir said QAnon is a psychological operation to make conservatives look like idiots. The Republican party doesn’t need Trump, he said.
“I’d like to see President Trump retire and have a peaceful life,” Samir said.
