In his first public appearance since leaving the White House, former US President Donald Trump hinted that he might launch a third presidential bid, but added that he has no plans to start an alternative to the Republican Party.
“I stand before you today to declare that the incredible journey we began together four years ago is far from over,” the former president said in his first speech since leaving the White House last month. Speaking at the 2021 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Orlando, Florida, Trump said: “We are gathered this afternoon to talk about the future—the future of our movement, the future of our party, and the future of our beloved country.”
Trump began his address by asking the crowd: “Do you miss me?” He announced he is “not starting a new party” and, making note of the mostly maskless audience, said “there are no masks, there’s no double masks.”
“Actually, as you know they just lost the White House,” Trump said of Democrats, repeating the lie he won the election last fall. “Who knows, I may even decide to beat them for the third time,” he added, stopping short of declaring his 2024 plans.
He lashed out at his successor, US President Joe Biden, saying that the new administration is anti-jobs, anti-family, anti-borders, anti-energy, anti-women and anti-science, Sputnik reported. Trump said: “Joe Biden has had the most disastrous first month of any president in modern history.” It was Trump’s first major public appearance since leaving office.
Trump particularly pointed to the emerging border crisis in the US, criticising Biden’s immigration policy and calling it a betrayal of America’s core values. “Already the Biden administration has proven that they are anti-jobs, anti-family, anti-borders, anti-energy, anti-women and anti-science,” Trump said, adding: “In just one short month we have gone from ‘America First’ to ‘America Last’.”