Almost a month and a half away from power and the lights have not changed it. Former US President Donald Trump appeared confident and offensive on Sunday, February 28, during a speech at a conservative conference, – the ” Conservative Political Action Conference » – in Orlando, Florida where he now resides.
The 45e President of the United States has hinted at a possible new candidacy for the White House in 2024, while attacking his Democratic successor Joe Biden head-on by repeating his baseless accusations that the November election was his “Stolen”.
“Do you miss me already?” “, he asked in a wink to his supporters who chanted “We love you”, in the middle of his speech. “Our movement of proud, hard-working American patriots is just beginning, and in the end we will win. We win “, assaulted the former Republican president.
Refusing once again to admit his defeat in the ballot on November 3, Donald Trump lambasted the first weeks of Joe Biden’s mandate and hinted that he could stand as a candidate again. “They just lost the White House”, he said about the administration of Joe Biden, whose border management he notably criticized. “But who knows, who knows, I might even decide to beat them a third time. “
The Republican Party “will be united and stronger than ever”
Donald Trump’s tumultuous last few weeks in power were marked by the invasion of Capitol Hill on January 6 by his supporters who refused to see Congress confirm the victory of Joe Biden, whom Donald Trump himself falsely described as fraudulent.
A war broke out within the Republican Party around the personality of Donald Trump whom some, like the leader of the Republican minority in the Senate Mitch McConnell, consider a man of the past while others, like the Senator Lindsey Graham, want to harness the energy of the pro-Trump conservative base.
Donald Trump assured that he had no intention of moving away from the Republican Party and forming a new party, an idea the former president had discussed for the past two months with advisers. “We are not starting new parties. We have the Republican Party. He is going to be united and stronger than ever. I’m not starting a new party ”, he said.
“We are engaged in a struggle for the survival of America as we know it”, said the American billionaire at the very end of a one-and-a-half-hour speech. “It’s a struggle. It is a terrible, terrible, painful struggle. (…) At the end of the day, we always win ”.
According to a poll of conference attendees, 55% of people say they would vote for Donald Trump in the race for the Republican nomination in the 2024 presidential election. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is second with 21%. Without Trump, DeSantis leads with 43%.
When asked whether Trump should run again in 2024, 68% of those polled say they are in favor and 32% are against it or have no opinion.
Joe Biden severely criticized
The pro-Trump fervor was nonetheless palpable in Orlando, where a golden statue of the former president has even been erected. Donald Trump, who began his speech more than an hour late, has shown himself to be the savior of American culture and identity.
He has shot arrows in Joe Biden’s direction, notably on immigration and the slow reopening of schools closed due to the pandemic, seeking to set himself up as the first opponent of the current White House tenant.
“Joe Biden had the most disastrous first month of all presidents in modern history”, said Donald Trump, while the latest opinion polls are nevertheless rather favorable to the new president. In Washington, the Biden administration has made it clear that it plans to ignore Donald Trump’s speech.
“We are certainly not focusing on what President Trump says” at the Convention, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters last week.