 "Trump showcases his disdain for bureaucrats, Biden & immigrants as he takes a victory lap at CPAC")
In yet another campaign-style performance, US President Donald Trump triumphantly returned to the Conservative Political Action Conference ( CPAC ) on Saturday, delivering more than an hour-long speech. The main talking points of his address were his gleeful recounting of his acts of retribution against the Biden administration and his push for aggressive right-wing rhetoric.
The crowd which revelled in joy as Trump entered the stage included people he had pardoned for their roles in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol . The address from the newly elected president came two years after he declared: “I am your retribution,” on the same stage. “We have escorted the radical-left bureaucrats out of the building and have locked the doors behind them,” Trump said at the Saturday event. “We’ve gotten rid of thousands.”
Trump’s address took place against the backdrop of a conference that for several days has cast his second win as a turning point in a global and increasingly successful crusade by right-wing political movements. The president also pushed his anti-immigration agenda as he boasted that his administration had terminated temporary protected status for hundreds of thousands of Haitian immigrants and attempted to ban birthright citizenship for children of non-legal permanent residents.
Trump’s revenge tour is underway
In his address, Trump attacked his predecessor, Joe Biden , insisting that the former president weaponised the justice system against him. “I ended Joe Biden’s weaponization as soon as I got in. I said, ‘I’m going to hit him with the same stuff,’" he said. Throughout his 2024 election campaign, Trump had vowed revenge against his political enemies.
He reiterated his ambition in the Saturday address as well. “The fraudsters, liars, cheaters, globalists and deep-state bureaucrats are being sent packing,” Trump said, who is currently presiding over efforts to shrink federal bureaucracy . Towards the end of his address, the president also lingered on his own criminal investigation and scrutiny.
He also claimed Democrats had “lost their confidence” and possessed “the worst policy in history” while boasting about his administration’s first month in office. “Nobody has seen four weeks like we’ve had,” he exclaimed.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsIt is pertinent to note that Trump had been making appearances at CPAC off and on since 2011 when he was considering a run for the 2012 Republican primary to challenge former President Barack Obama. Following his defeat in the 2020 presidential election, Trump enjoyed overwhelming support among the convention’s attendees in 2021, and he used his address that year to settle scores with dissenters in the party.
At that time, the president drew the loudest applause when he pledged to purge Republicans who had criticized him or refused to support his lies that the 2020 election had been rigged. The event was attended by several international conservative politicians, including the Argentine president, Javier Milei, who is currently facing a widespread crypto scandal; the Polish president, Andrzej Duda; and the British Reform party leader, Nigel Farage. All of them heaped praises for Trump after his speech.
With inputs from agencies.
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