In his first speech since leaving office, Donald Trump lashes out at Supreme Court justices for failing to interfere in what he previously called a “stolen election.” During his Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) remarks on Sunday in Orlando, Florida, the former president expressed his ongoing claims of fraudulence on the election which he lost against Joe Biden.
“They should be ashamed of themselves for what they’ve done to our country … the Supreme Court didn’t have the guts or the courage to do anything about it.”
The Crowd’s Support
After referring to multiple judges and their wrongful decision-making, he insisted that the election was “rigged.” Following an eruption of applause, he hinted he may run again in 2024. He stated, “Who knows? I may even decide to beat them for a third time.”
The speech served to emphasize Trump’s authority over the Republican Party and how he will continue to be part of it. He denied any rumors which reported him forming a new political party, assuring conservatives that he will remain within their circle. The crowd was ecstatic listening to the former president speak, chanting “we love you.” He responded jokingly saying, “When you think about it, ‘we love you’, you’re saying that about…I hate to say it, am I a politician?”
Throughout the speech he mentioned numerous topics such as patriotism, rejecting cancel culture, embracing free thought, and standing up to political correctness. In the yearly CPAC presidential straw poll released momentarily before Trump spoke, 95 percent of the attendees believe that the GOP should continue to adopt Trump’s policies and ideas. 68 percent of the conference attendees supported that he should run again in 2024. The same poll highlighted that Donald Trump is the preferred candidate for the 2024 election, followed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, at 21 percent.
#CPAC2021 straw poll reveals Donald Trump is the preferred choice of 55% for president in #Election2024, announces @JMcLaughlinSTK. pic.twitter.com/8ibGJKWN9O
— Steve Herman (@W7VOA) February 28, 2021
ADVERTISEMENT
Trump’s Critique
In a stretched hour and a half, Trump took the opportunity to target Republicans who turned their back towards him. The Big Tech companies were up next following his Twitter account suspension as he mentioned, “they should be punished with major sanctions whenever they silence conservative voices.” He continued criticizing the Biden administration for poorly handling their first month in office referring to immigration, education, the coronavirus vaccine distribution, and protections involving people who are transgender.
“None of us even imagined just how bad they would be and how far left they would go,” he stated. “In just one short month, we have gone from ‘America First’ to ‘America Last.’”
Giving himself immense recognition, Trump reflected on his past accomplishments as president, noting both aspects, politics and government.
Twitter’s Reaction
Twitter users grasped the opportunity to troll the former president as he opened his speech with, “Do you miss me yet?” Ever since his Twitter account suspension, the platform has been relatively quiet, lacking the controversy that Trump created on a daily basis. His spicy comments would spark attention daily, rapidly increasing his reputation as a pop culture figure rather than a president.
Even though reactions fell on both ends of the spectrum, humor was also part of the game.
Not confirmed but I’m guessing these guys really enjoyed Trump’s CPAC speech pic.twitter.com/XeGrm97qhG
— Mark Meredith (@markpmeredith) February 28, 2021
ADVERTISEMENT
Live footage of #Trump2024 pic.twitter.com/uYygSy70F9
— Jake Lobin (@JakeLobin) February 28, 2021
Positive Reactions
“Who knows…I may even decide to beat them for a third time!” #Trump2024 ????????
— Art TakingBack ???????? (@ArtValley818_) February 28, 2021
EXCELLENT speech by President Trump at @CPAC . The media will focus on his election comments & future of GOP but don't miss this: he got a HUGE standing ovation when he talked about how Judeo-Christian values are under attack & must be upheld. BIG connection moment. #CPAC2021
— David Brody (@DBrodyReports) March 1, 2021
Trump’s CPAC speech had more live viewers than any of Biden’s livestreams.
But Biden is more popular. Got it.
— Kevin Sorbo (@ksorbs) March 1, 2021
Negative Reactions
Happy 1st of March to everyone who was smart enough to skip listening to trump's CPAC speech yesterday.
It was just as insane and full of lies as any other speech, just a lot more pathetic than usual.
— BrooklynDad_Defiant!☮️ (@mmpadellan) March 1, 2021
Trump said in his CPAC speech that Biden has undone all of his achievements. It’s true. Covid is down, people aren’t attacking the Capitol, we’re acknowledging science and we’re not reading daily hate tweets. Miss ya, buddy.
— Albert Brooks (@AlbertBrooks) February 28, 2021
Made it through the whole day without thinking once or caring even slightly about Trump's speech. Is there any reason for me to disturb this state of psychic peace?
— David Roberts (@drvolts) March 1, 2021
Trump’s possible comeback in 2024 as a presidential candidate created feelings of fear for some, and hope to others, proving once again America as a highly divided country.
