USA TODAY International Edition
Trump rips Biden, GOP critics as he rehashes false claims of rigged vote
ORLANDO, Fla. – Donald Trump reentered political life Sunday, attacking President Joe Biden, condemning Republican opponents and proclaiming himself the leader of a GOP riven by election defeats and the pro- Trump insurrection at the U. S. Capitol in January.
“Do you miss me yet?” Trump asked the Conservative Political Action Conference after taking the stage more than an hour after his scheduled start time. “A lot of things going on.”
Trump’s attacks on other Republicans threaten to divide the party further as it tries to regain control of Congress in 2022 and the White House in 2024.
Before the speech, Republicans said the party can win elections in 2022 and 2024 by asking voters to agree with them on issues, not on Trump. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R- La., told CNN’s “State of the Union” that the GOP cannot win if it puts one man on “a pedestal.”
If “we can speak to those policies, to those families, then we will win,” said Cassidy, one of seven Republican senators who voted to convict Trump on charges of inciting the insurrection Jan. 6. “But if we idolize one person, we will lose.”
Trump did not declare a 2024 presidential candidacy in his address to the conference of conservative activists – but he did hint at a run while alluding to his false claims of Democratic vote fixing in 2020.
“Who knows? I may even decide to beat them for a third time,” Trump said to cheers.
Trump mentioned plans to inject himself into the 2022 congressional elections, backing Republicans who subscribe to his “Make America Great Again” agenda.
The former president declared he would remain a member of the GOP, denying reports that he is thinking about starting a political party. He told fellow Republicans he would “continue to fight right by your side.”
Mocking Trump’s claim that he could beat the Democrats “again,” Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R- Ill., tweeted that “Trump lost the election FYI.”
Kinzinger, one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump over the insurrection, added a “side note” that “this speech is boring. We can’t win the presidency with this boring, low energy, stream of conscience, weak, has been, choke artist.”
Trump bashed his successor, Joe Biden, claiming he has had “the most disastrous first month of any president in modern history.” Trump called on Biden to support reopening schools, despite the pandemic, and stand up to China and its trade practices.
The White House said Biden didn’t plan to comment much on Trump’s speech because he’s busy working.
“I wouldn’t say he’s thought a lot about the former president’s visit – I was going to say ‘ performance,’ maybe that’s appropriate – at CPAC,” said White House press secretary Jen Psaki.
Democratic strategist Jesse Ferguson said it’s been a year since Trump downplayed the threat of COVID- 19. “After all the GOP’s failures to combat it, and over 500,000 killed, Trump will demand this crowd – his most loyal subjects – praise him for it,” Ferguson said.
Some Republicans urge the party to move past Trump, citing his role in the insurrection and calling him a divisive leader who would drag down the party.
“I don’t believe that he should be playing a role in the future of the party, or the country,” said Rep. Liz Cheney, R- Wyo., one of the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump.
Beyond occasional written statements and brief phone- in interviews on cable television, Trump has laid low since leaving office, especially during the Senate impeachment trial. The Senate acquitted Trump on charges he incited the riot because prosecutors could not muster the two- thirds vote needed for conviction. Fifty- seven of the 100 senators voted to convict, including seven Republicans.
The ex- president found a friendly crowd. Speaker after speaker has lauded Trump since CPAC opened Thursday night. Many delegates lined up to take pictures beside a golden statue of Trump, which is decked out in coatand- tie, beach shorts and flip- flops and carrying a magic wand.
His speech turned CPAC into something of a Trump political rally as delegates cheered and wore Trumpthemed hats, T- shirts and pins.
Shortly before Trump’s speech, one CPAC speaker – Rep. Jim Jordan, ROhio – told the crowd Trump is “the leader of the conservative movement” and “the leader of the Republican Party.” Delegates gave those lines a standing ovation.
The attacks on Biden are unique in the modern era. Other ex- presidents have criticized their successors, but none has done it as early in the new president’s first term as Trump.
Rather than fade from the political scene, as many ex- presidents have, Trump plans to stay in the spotlight.
Trump and his allies plan to get involved in Republican primaries next month. They vowed to back primary challengers to Republicans Trump views as disloyal, particularly the 10 House Republicans who voted for impeachment.
Friday, Trump endorsed former White House aide Max Miller in his challenge to Rep. Anthony Gonzalez, R- Ohio, an impeachment supporter.
Denver Riggleman, a former Republican congressman from Virginia who opposes Trump, said the former president will probably wait to see “how his mini- Trumps” fare in 2022 before deciding whether he will run again in 2024.
Riggleman said Trump will aggressively attack critics while building a “cult of personality” within a Republican Party on the brink of civil war.
“You’ve got people who are loyal to Trump against people who are loyal to the Constitution,” Riggleman said.
Some Democrats would welcome Trump’s return to politics. Jaime Harrison, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, said Trump’s reemergence would be a gift to Democrats, helping them raise money and defeat GOP election opponents in 2022 and 2024.
“Oh, he’s a hot messy gift,” Harrison told MSNBC.
Shortly before Trump’s speech, Rep. Jim Jordan, R- Ohio told the crowd Trump is “the leader of the conservative movement” and “the leader of the Republican Party.” Delegates gave those lines a standing ovation.