Trump fans eager to hear what ex-president has to say
ORLANDO, FLA. — Anticipation for Donald Trump’s speech today was palpable at CPAC in Orlando on Saturday, as speakers invoked the ex-president’s name and policies in their remarks and attendees were hopeful he’d shed light on his political future.
Charlene Daniel-Greene and her husband drove from Pennsylvania. Recently retired, the couple hopes to get involved in conservative activism in the coming years.
But she said she was discouraged that Trump hasn’t spoken out since Jan. 6 and feels his silence and the death of conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh have left a hole in the discourse.
“I’m very eager to hear what his plans are for the future. Is he going to run in ’24? Is he putting together a Super PAC? Is he putting together a different social media platform? I think that’s what most people are interested in finding out: What does the future hold for Donald Trump and how does that impact us as conservatives?” she said.
But she balked at the idea of him running for president again.
“I would say leading from other ways besides the presidency … would probably be the best thing,” she said.
Steve Merczynski of New York, who sells customized MAGA hammocks, said he wants Trump back in the White House.
“I want to hear him say he’s coming back,” he said. “I want him to run again.”
Merczynski, who carried various red, white and blue hammocks around the hotel, said Trump is the leader of the Republican party, and the next GOP nominee should be Trump or an ardent supporter of his policies.
Duggan Flanakin, director of policy research at the Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow, said he hoped Trump would blast what he called “pork spending” in the COVID-relief bill, which passed the U.S. House Friday night and is headed to the Senate.
“Those are issues perhaps that we’ll look for the president to bring up because they’re not being discussed,” he said.
Flanakin, of Austin, Texas, said he thought Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who opened the conference Friday, was the top GOP contender for 2024, and that Trump should consider passing the torch.
“I don’t think there is any other contender,” he said.
The former president, who has mostly kept quiet since leaving office last month for his palatial Palm Beach resort, was top of mind for speakers at the conservative conference Saturday.
“The idea that you can cancel Donald Trump is absurd,” said former ambassador Robert Lighthizer.
Ric Grennell, a former Trump-appointed ambassador to Germany who later served as the Acting Director of National Intelligence, invoked Trump’s agenda in his remarks.
“The doctrine of ‘America First’ is here to stay,” he said.
Trump is scheduled to close out the conference with a speech on Sunday afternoon.
It wasn’t hard to find references to Trump throughout gathering areas at CPAC at the Hyatt Regency Orlando. Shirts had silhouettes of the former president, others wore buttons with his name or likeness.
Outside of the hotel, vendors sold flags, shirts and other merchandise encouraging a 2024 run for president and promoting the QAnon conspiracy theory.
Several people waved Trump flags as pro-Trump rapper Bryson Gray shot a music video. A handful of Black Lives Matter protestors chanted at the group, but the conflict didn’t escalate beyond the exchanging of words.
CPAC was supposed to be kicked off Saturday with remarks from U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, but the Florida Republican canceled his talk because of “an unexpected family issue.”