“My ultimate and absolute revenge”: Trump delivers a terrifying speech on his presidential agenda at CPAC.
In an address on Saturday, Donald Trump presented a terrifying picture of a democracy in immediate danger, calling himself a “proud political dissident” and promising “judgment day” for political rivals.
The front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, in typical carnival barker fashion, charged that Joe Biden was using “Stalinist show trials” as a weapon against him. If elected on November 5th, he promised to implement stricter border security measures and carry out the largest deportation in US history.
“November 5th will be our new liberation day for hardworking Americans,” President Trump declared in front of an enthusiastic crowd at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) held at National Harbor, Maryland. “Yet it will be their judgment day for the liars, cheaters, fraudsters, censors, and imposters who have taken over our government!”
“Your triumph will be our final justification, your freedom will be our final prize, and the extraordinary prosperity of the United States of America will be my final and final retaliation,” he continued.
The predominantly white audience sprang up and cheered, with many donning “Make America Great Again” t-shirts.
Hours before he was expected to defeat Republican opponent Nikki Haley in the South Carolina primary and secure his nomination as the party’s nominee, the former US president was giving a speech.
A straw poll for Trump’s running mate was conducted during the convention, with Kristi Noem, the governor of South Dakota, and tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy tied at 15%. Tulsi Gabbard, a former congresswoman from Hawaii, Elise Stefanik, a congresswoman from New York, and Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina followed. Nikki Haley finished last with a 2% score. There were about 1,500 voters.
According to his campaign, Trump broke the record set by former President Ronald Reagan by making his 14th appearance at CPAC with this visit. He looked loose and occasionally insane. The seventy-seven-year-old was more stand-up comedian than commander-in-chief, with moments of hilarity interspersed with biliousness and melancholy. He made light of himself and his wife Melania’s criticism of his speeches, saying things like, “I ask our first lady, I say.” So, how wonderful was it, baby? You were alright, she says.
There was a shout of amusement at his obscene parody of 81-year-old Biden’s speech pattern, gestures, and walk. Furthermore, paying homage to his time spent hosting The Apprentice, Trump enthralled the crowd by yelling, “Crooked Joe Biden, you are fired!” Leave this place now. You are ruining our nation. You’ve been let go. “Leave this place immediately!”
However, akin to historical demagogues, the humor and theatricality concealed a dark undercurrent. It is difficult to ignore the echoes of Trump’s ability to manipulate the crowd, changing its mood from joy to rage like the flip of a switch.
The atmosphere had been set even before he stepped onto the stage. Following an array of popular tunes, such as Elvis Presley’s Suspicious Minds, Johnny Cash’s Ring of Fire, Sinéad O’Connor’s Nothing Compares 2 U and Abba’s Dancing Queen, the faint strain of Justice for All, a Star-Spangled Banner performed by prisoners found guilty of taking part in the January 6, 2021, uprising, echoed through the speakers. The CPAC audience responded to the dirge, which was recorded over a jail phone line, with melancholy applause.
Trump entered Lee Greenwood’s God Bless the USA as usual, hugged an American flag, and presented an ominously vivid picture of a violent, chaotic, and bloody America. “The worst is yet to come if Crooked Joe Biden and his thugs win in 2024,” he declared. “A nation that will descend to inconceivable depths.”
These are the election’s stakes. The only thing preventing you from being obliterated by the destruction of our nation is me. In four cases, Trump faced 91 criminal charges, but he presented himself as the country’s possible savior as well as a martyr. He went on, “A vote for Trump is your passport out of tyranny, your ticket back to freedom, and your only way out of Joe Biden and his gang’s fast track to hell.”
“And the truth is that Joe Biden poses a real threat to democracy, which is why we are currently living in hell in many ways.”
Days after Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny passed away, Trump added, “I stand before you today not only as your past and hopefully future president but as a proud political dissident,” alluding to a self-comparison. As a dissident, I am.
The audience cheered and whooped. Trump, referring to the charges as “bullshit,” claimed he had been indicted more times than mobster Al Capone. Once more, the crowd erupted into applause, with some raising their hands and yelling, “We love Trump!” We adore Trump!
“The Stalinist show trials being carried out at Joe Biden’s orders set fire not only to our system of government but to hundreds of years of western legal tradition,” asserted Trump without providing any supporting evidence. “A rabid mob of radical left Democrat partisans posing as judges, juries, and prosecutors has replaced law, precedent, and due process.”
Trump also dedicated time to his trademark subject, declaring that “sealing the border, stopping the invasion, and sending Joe Biden’s illegal aliens back home” will be his “first and most urgent action” as president.
After years of demonizing immigrants, the former president declared, “We’re not going to stand for it. They’re coming from Asia, the Middle East, all over the world, and Africa. They are ruining our nation.
He made a vow to execute the largest deportation in American history. “Those clowns in the media will say, ‘Oh, he’s so mean.’ It’s not a nice thing to say, and I hate to say it.” No, our people are being killed by them. They are destroying our nation. There is nothing we can do.
“We have languages coming into our country,” he continued. They speak languages that no one in this nation is familiar with. It’s a terrible situation.
However, Trump deviated from the teleprompter with a string of oddball remarks. One had a complicated tale about flying into Iraq at night and how, “I sat with the pilots—the most attractive people I’ve ever seen.” Not to my taste… They are attractive, though. In the center of casting. more attractive than Tom Cruise. and higher.
He had the faithful eating out of the palm of his hand once more, a scene that ought to worry democratic defenders. “In addition, isn’t this more effective than reading from a fricking teleprompter?” he questioned. The assembly applauded.
He said, “Nobody can ramble like this. They’ll say, ‘He rambled, he’s cognitively impaired.'” Actually, the reverse is true. You are aware of its absolute greatness. The audience continued to applaud.