Donald Trump has wrapped up his address at CPAC, an approximately 75-minute tirade of repeated false claims ranging from voter fraud and stolen-election lies to foreign wars, among others.
Opening up his speech, Trump assailed “the fraudsters, liars … globalists and deep-state bureaucrats” that he said “are being sent back”.
He then went on to cite a series of polls in which he is leading. “Rasmussen just came out at 56% insider advantage, 56% RMG research … we have many polls in the mid-60s, one at 71%. We like that,” he said. However, he did not mention the latest Gallup poll, where he is six points under – 51% of Americans disapproved of his performance while 45% indicated their approval for him.
Donald Trump then moved to attacking immigrants across the country, saying: “I couldn’t stand it! … We don’t have that problem any more.” On the contrary, on Friday, reports emerged of the White House reassigning the top official at US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) after the agency’s level of arrests and deportations were slower than expected.
He also read from a list of millions of people in the social security database that the agency has no death records for. However, that has been a known issue for more than a decade, and an inspector general report found that just 13 people over 112 years old were getting any payments as of 2013.
On Israel’s war on Gaza, Trump claimed that Joe Biden got back “zero” hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. “Biden got none back, by the way, just so you understand, none, zero,” Trump claimed. In fact, 105 hostages were freed in the November 2023 ceasefire deal brokered by Biden’s administration.
At one point, Trump, who has not ruled out using military action to take over Greenland and who has vowed to make Canada the 51st state, along with taking back the Panama Canal, said: “I don’t want to be a conquerer.”
Despite his false claims, Trump supporters roared and cheered inside the CPAC auditorium at National Harbor, Maryland.
“I have not yet begun to fight, and neither have you,” he said in his closing remarks. Before exiting the stage, Trump returned to his trademark dance, fist-pumping to Village People’s YMCA.
Donald Trump has wrapped up his address at CPAC.
Trump closed out his roughly 75-minute speech by dancing to YMCA in front of a cheering crowd of supporters.
On Israel’s war on Gaza, Donald Trump claimed that Joe Biden got back “zero” hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.
“Biden got none back, by the way, just so you understand, none, zero,” Trump claimed.
In fact, 105 hostages were freed in the November 2023 ceasefire deal brokered by Biden’s administration.
Donald Trump is now talking about ending the war between Ukraine and Russia, saying: “We’re getting our money back.”
“The United States has given $350bn because we had a stupid, incompetent president and administration … Europe gave it in the form of a loan. They get their money back. We gave it in the form of nothing. So I want them to give us something for all of the money that we put up. And I’m going to try and get the war settled, and I’m going to try and get all that death ended. So we’re asking for rare earth and oil, anything we can get,” Trump said.
From claiming Ukraine was responsible for the war to incorrect numbers about aid received from the US and Europe, Trump has in recent weeks made a number of inaccurate statements while praising the progress made in US-Russia talks in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The Guardian has had a look at his claims:
Donald Trump just read out from a list of millions of people in the social security database that the agency has no death records for.
“Under our administration, there will be no tolerance for social security fraud. Will not allow anyone to cheat our seniors and those who will do that will be prosecuted by [attorney general] Pam Bondi and others,” he said.
However, that has been a known issue for over a decade, and an inspector general report found that just 13 people over 112 years old were getting any payments as of 2013.
The Guardian’s Robert Mackey contributed to this post
Donald Trump is well under way with his speech at CPAC and the main room is absolutely packed.
The energy in here is less political conference and more rock concert – every line gets massive applause, cheers or laughter.
Trump workshopped nicknames for his predecessor Joe Biden, asking the crowd to cheer for “Crooked Joe” and then moments later to cheer for “Sleepy Joe”. He said “Crooked Joe” won.
A group of rowdy, pardoned January 6 rioters created a scene near the media section in the back of the hall, shouting for Trump to acknowledge them and their cause, which still has not come up.
Donald Trump is now praising his staunch ally, Elon Musk, the richest person in the world.
“He’s doing a great job and he doesn’t need this … but … he’s a patriot,” Trump said.
On Thursday, Musk hailed efforts by himself and Trump to cut the federal workforce by the hundreds of thousands.
In a post on X today – which he owns – Musk, who leads the so-called “department of government efficiency”, said:
All federal employees will shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week. Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation.
Donald Trump has moved back to attacking immigrants across the country, saying: “I couldn’t stand it!” before adding: “Donald, don’t get angry.”
“I couldn’t stand it, so I said, I’m going to run for president again, and now we don’t have that problem now. We don’t have that problem any more,” he claimed.
On the contrary, on Friday, reports emerged of the White House reassigning the top official at US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) after the agency’s level of arrests and deportations were slower than expected.
Trump singled out in the crowd the 40-year-old son of the former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro – the country’s ex-president who tried a January 6-style insurrection and was just charged with plotting to poison his successor and the current president, Luiz Inácio Lula.
“Say hello to your father. Thank you very much. Great family, great gentleman, and your great family,” Trump said to Eduardo Bolsonaro.
Jair Bolsonaro could face between 38 and 43 years in jail if convicted. In addition to being accused of being involved in a coup, Jair Bolsonaro has been accused of being involved with an armed criminal association and the violent abolition of the rule of law.
The Guardian’s Robert Mackey contributed to this post
Trump went on to cite a series of polls in which he is leading.
“Rasmussen just came out at 56% insider advantage, 56% RMG research … we have many polls in the mid-60s, one at 71%. We like that,” he said.
However, he did not mention the latest Gallup poll, where he is six points under – 51% of Americans disapproved of his performance while 45% indicated their approval for him.
Source: US Politics - theguardian.com
