Former President Donald Trump spoke from the Conservative Political Action Conference Saturday night in Orlando. Trump spoke on a range of topics from the Supreme Court to election security, but also spent a good amount of time addressing the current crisis in Ukraine.Highlights from Trump’s speechTrump arrived to a roaring crowd in Florida. Chants of “U-S-A” could be heard from the audience. “We are bringing back our country and we are bringing back our freedom,” the former president promised, saying the “sleeping giant” of the conservative movement had been awoken.He said Republican voters will “stand up to left-wing fascists” in the 2024 election.Without evidence, Trump again repeated that the 2020 election was “stolen.”An Associated Press review of every potential case of voter fraud in the six battleground states disputed by the former president has found fewer than 475, a number that would have made no difference in the 2020 election.Get the Facts: Is there evidence to back up Donald Trump’s claims of a ‘stolen’ election?Former Vice President Mike Pence made headlines earlier this month when he refuted Trump’s claim he could have overturned the 2022 election.”We did it twice, and we’ll do it again,” he said, once again teasing his presidential bid. Trump promised that the wall along the southern border will be finished.He thanked and praised a few allies, listing among them Sen. Rick Scott, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Rep. Matt Gaetz.Trump took note of reporters covering the event, saying, “That’s a lot of fake news, look at all of those cameras.”The crowd quickly booed the media at the event.Trump turned to blast President Joe Biden. He said, “You could take the five worst presidents in history, and they wouldn’t have done the damage President Joe Biden has done in such a short time.”He painted a dim view of the country at present, saying that the streets are “drenched in blood,” and that a “radical left zealot” has been nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court.Trump said the United States military was “humiliated” in its exit from Afghanistan. “Joe Biden has turned calm into chaos,” he said. “Stability into anarchy.” He touched on the crisis in Ukraine, calling president Volodymyr Zelenskyy “a brave man.” He praised him for “hanging in.”” is an outrage and it should never have been allowed to occur, we are praying for the proud people of Ukraine. God bless them all,” he said, adding that it never would have happened had he been president.Trump called Biden “weak and grossly competent,” blaming him for the crisis in Ukraine. “Putin is saying ‘oh they’re going to sanction me, they sanctioned me for the last 25 years.’ You mean, I can take over a whole country and they’re going to sanction me? You mean they’re not going to blow us to pieces at least psychologically?” Trump said.He defended his previous comment calling Putin smart, adding that NATO is looking “the opposite of smart,” and that sanctions are a weak response. “The problem is not that Putin is smart, which of course he’s smart, but the real problem is that our leaders are dumb,” Trump said.Former President Donald Trump did not hold back when voicing his displeasure with the way America and its allies have handled the Russian invasion of Ukraine.Trump touted his relationship with Russia while in office and slammed President Biden’s approach to the conflict.”I stand as the only president of the 21st century on whose watch Russia did not invade another country,” Trump said.”They’re allowing to get away with this assault on humanity. Putin is playing Biden like a drum,” Trump said.Trump said he got along with Putin, as well as North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.”It’s not a bad thing to get along with people,” he said.He downplayed the danger of climate change, claiming that the oceans may rise a quarter of an inch in a few hundred years.”Giving you slightly more seafront property,” he quipped. Trump claimed that people are pouring over the southern border, “bringing crime and death.””We’re not the United States. We’re considered a dumping ground for criminals,” he said.He said the Biden administration cares more about Ukraine than stopping undocumented people from entering the country.Trump pivoted to COVID-19, saying it is time to get rid of all mandates.”The emergency is over and we will submit to this left-wing tyranny no longer,” he said.Complaining about investigations into his business dealings and impeachment, Trump accused the Democrats of waging a “demented witch hunt against me, my family, my staff, my supporters and you.” He called on voters to deliver a “resounding defeat” to Democrats in 2024.”We’re going to kick the Biden crime family out of the White House,” he said. Trump finished by saying, “We will make America great again.”Many people told WESH 2 his words were exactly what they wanted to hear.”I feel that he’s right. If he was still in this, it would not have happened because he knows how to deal with world leaders,” CPAC attendee Fernandina Ivanyo said.“It’s time for us to realize, get prepared for the midterm elections because we have to flex some muscle and push Russia back to where they belong,” Armando Santos said.The final day of CPAC is Sunday. The conference’s straw poll will be released in the afternoon with the final speech of the day going to Donald Trump Jr. CPAC attendees weigh inOn Friday night, CPAC attendees were asked who they would vote for between Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.”If they went against each other, I would have to vote for DeSantis,” said Lexi Falance, a CPAC attendee from Florida.”I’m sticking with the hat here,” said Suzie Martinson, a CPAC attendee from Hawaii, pointing to her Donald Trump visor.Dennis DeFalco and Nancy Tint wore Trump 2020 shirts to CPAC because they said the Trump 2024 shirt was at home.”I would pick Trump because I don’t want DeSantis leaving Florida. He’s like the best governor ever,” DeFalco said.Results of a straw poll released Sunday will show the real favorite.Trump and DeSantis The headlining appearances of Trump and DeSantis shine a light on the increasingly complicated relationship between the two Republican Party leaders.While DeSantis owes his election in 2018 largely to Trump’s support, their relationship remaining friendly is far from certain.Already, there is chatter that DeSantis could be destined to run for president, perhaps as soon as 2024.A recent Trump rally in Texas showed Florida’s governor has become an extremely popular face in the conservative movement.The Associated Press reports a collection of “DeSantis 2024” bumper stickers were seen alongside “TRUMP WON!” T-shirts, “MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN” hats and “LET’S GO BRANDON” flags for sale.Nikki Rye, who lives in Florida and has been selling Trump gear at his events since 2015, said the merchandise hyping her state’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, “is a very, very sought-after item.” Beyond the stickers, a life-size cutout of DeSantis stood at one side of her shop, with Trump flanking the other.A recent poll from The Associated Press-Center for Public Affairs Research found that while 71% of Republicans have a favorable opinion of Trump, a smaller percentage, 56%, want him to run again in 2024. The poll found 44% of Republicans do not want Trump to run.Meanwhile, a recent NBC poll found that, by a 20-point margin, Republicans now identify more as supporters of the Republican Party than supporters of Trump — a reversal from the sentiment before the 2020 election.Other CPAC addressesDeSantis spoke Thursday afternoon from the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando. He began by saying lots of people like to criticize Florida, but plenty are happy to visit for the “freedom.”The governor boasted about his anti-lockdown stance.”We protected people’s rights, we protected people’s jobs, and made sure every kid in the state of Florida had an opportunity to go to school in person,” he said. “Freedom has prevailed in the Sunshine State.”Nearly 70,000 Floridians have died from COVID-19 since the pandemic began.The governor said “if Florida had not led the way,” the country would probably look like Canada.”My duty is to stand up and protect the jobs of the people I represent,” DeSantis said. “I’m not going to try and protect my own hide.”DeSantis said President Joe Biden hates him and the state of Florida because they “stand up to him.”He did not mention the crisis in Ukraine. Read more on DeSantis’ address here.Former Sec. of State Pompeo spoke Friday.”We see on our TV the bombs, the missiles, the Soviet tanks, the Russia tanks moving across Ukraine,” Pompeo said.In a 15-minute speech from the CPAC stage, Pompeo criticized the Biden administration’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.”We’ve seen a Russia dictator now terrorize the Ukrainian people because America didn’t demonstrate the resolve that we did for the four years prior,” Pompeo said.Pompeo highlighted his time as secretary, claiming that under former President Donald Trump, the country had a stronger stance in the world.”It was peace through strength. It was Reagan’s model. It was the model we used for four years in the Trump administration. We put America first and we told people around the world you cannot tread on us,” Pompeo said.
Former President Donald Trump spoke from the Conservative Political Action Conference Saturday night in Orlando.
Trump spoke on a range of topics from the Supreme Court to election security, but also spent a good amount of time addressing the current crisis in Ukraine.
Highlights from Trump’s speech
Trump arrived to a roaring crowd in Florida. Chants of “U-S-A” could be heard from the audience.
“We are bringing back our country and we are bringing back our freedom,” the former president promised, saying the “sleeping giant” of the conservative movement had been awoken.
He said Republican voters will “stand up to left-wing fascists” in the 2024 election.
Without evidence, Trump again repeated that the 2020 election was “stolen.”
An Associated Press review of every potential case of voter fraud in the six battleground states disputed by the former president has found fewer than 475, a number that would have made no difference in the 2020 election.
Get the Facts: Is there evidence to back up Donald Trump’s claims of a ‘stolen’ election?
Former Vice President Mike Pence made headlines earlier this month when he refuted Trump’s claim he could have overturned the 2022 election.
“We did it twice, and we’ll do it again,” he said, once again teasing his presidential bid.
Trump promised that the wall along the southern border will be finished.
He thanked and praised a few allies, listing among them Sen. Rick Scott, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Rep. Matt Gaetz.
Trump took note of reporters covering the event, saying, “That’s a lot of fake news, look at all of those cameras.”
The crowd quickly booed the media at the event.
Trump turned to blast President Joe Biden. He said, “You could take the five worst presidents in history, and they wouldn’t have done the damage President Joe Biden has done in such a short time.”
He painted a dim view of the country at present, saying that the streets are “drenched in blood,” and that a “radical left zealot” has been nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Trump said the United States military was “humiliated” in its exit from Afghanistan.
“Joe Biden has turned calm into chaos,” he said. “Stability into anarchy.”
He touched on the crisis in Ukraine, calling president Volodymyr Zelenskyy “a brave man.” He praised him for “hanging in.”
“[The Ukrainian crisis] is an outrage and it should never have been allowed to occur, we are praying for the proud people of Ukraine. God bless them all,” he said, adding that it never would have happened had he been president.
Trump called Biden “weak and grossly competent,” blaming him for the crisis in Ukraine.
“Putin is saying ‘oh they’re going to sanction me, they sanctioned me for the last 25 years.’ You mean, I can take over a whole country and they’re going to sanction me? You mean they’re not going to blow us to pieces at least psychologically?” Trump said.
He defended his previous comment calling Putin smart, adding that NATO is looking “the opposite of smart,” and that sanctions are a weak response.
“The problem is not that Putin is smart, which of course he’s smart, but the real problem is that our leaders are dumb,” Trump said.
Former President Donald Trump did not hold back when voicing his displeasure with the way America and its allies have handled the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Trump touted his relationship with Russia while in office and slammed President Biden’s approach to the conflict.
“I stand as the only president of the 21st century on whose watch Russia did not invade another country,” Trump said.
“They’re allowing [Putin] to get away with this assault on humanity. Putin is playing Biden like a drum,” Trump said.
Trump said he got along with Putin, as well as North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
“It’s not a bad thing to get along with people,” he said.
He downplayed the danger of climate change, claiming that the oceans may rise a quarter of an inch in a few hundred years.
“Giving you slightly more seafront property,” he quipped.
Trump claimed that people are pouring over the southern border, “bringing crime and death.”
“We’re not the United States. We’re considered a dumping ground for criminals,” he said.
He said the Biden administration cares more about Ukraine than stopping undocumented people from entering the country.
Trump pivoted to COVID-19, saying it is time to get rid of all mandates.
“The emergency is over and we will submit to this left-wing tyranny no longer,” he said.
Complaining about investigations into his business dealings and impeachment, Trump accused the Democrats of waging a “demented witch hunt against me, my family, my staff, my supporters and you.”
He called on voters to deliver a “resounding defeat” to Democrats in 2024.
“We’re going to kick the Biden crime family out of the White House,” he said.
Trump finished by saying, “We will make America great again.”
Many people told WESH 2 his words were exactly what they wanted to hear.
“I feel that he’s right. If he was still in this, it would not have happened because he knows how to deal with world leaders,” CPAC attendee Fernandina Ivanyo said.
“It’s time for us to realize, get prepared for the midterm elections because we have to flex some muscle and push Russia back to where they belong,” Armando Santos said.
The final day of CPAC is Sunday. The conference’s straw poll will be released in the afternoon with the final speech of the day going to Donald Trump Jr.
CPAC attendees weigh in
On Friday night, CPAC attendees were asked who they would vote for between Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
“If they went against each other, I would have to vote for DeSantis,” said Lexi Falance, a CPAC attendee from Florida.
“I’m sticking with the hat here,” said Suzie Martinson, a CPAC attendee from Hawaii, pointing to her Donald Trump visor.
Dennis DeFalco and Nancy Tint wore Trump 2020 shirts to CPAC because they said the Trump 2024 shirt was at home.
“I would pick Trump because I don’t want DeSantis leaving Florida. He’s like the best governor ever,” DeFalco said.
Results of a straw poll released Sunday will show the real favorite.
Trump and DeSantis
The headlining appearances of Trump and DeSantis shine a light on the increasingly complicated relationship between the two Republican Party leaders.
While DeSantis owes his election in 2018 largely to Trump’s support, their relationship remaining friendly is far from certain.
Already, there is chatter that DeSantis could be destined to run for president, perhaps as soon as 2024.
A recent Trump rally in Texas showed Florida’s governor has become an extremely popular face in the conservative movement.
The Associated Press reports a collection of “DeSantis 2024” bumper stickers were seen alongside “TRUMP WON!” T-shirts, “MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN” hats and “LET’S GO BRANDON” flags for sale.
Nikki Rye, who lives in Florida and has been selling Trump gear at his events since 2015, said the merchandise hyping her state’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, “is a very, very sought-after item.” Beyond the stickers, a life-size cutout of DeSantis stood at one side of her shop, with Trump flanking the other.
A recent poll from The Associated Press-Center for Public Affairs Research found that while 71% of Republicans have a favorable opinion of Trump, a smaller percentage, 56%, want him to run again in 2024. The poll found 44% of Republicans do not want Trump to run.
Meanwhile, a recent NBC poll found that, by a 20-point margin, Republicans now identify more as supporters of the Republican Party than supporters of Trump — a reversal from the sentiment before the 2020 election.
Other CPAC addresses
DeSantis spoke Thursday afternoon from the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando.
He began by saying lots of people like to criticize Florida, but plenty are happy to visit for the “freedom.”
The governor boasted about his anti-lockdown stance.
“We protected people’s rights, we protected people’s jobs, and made sure every kid in the state of Florida had an opportunity to go to school in person,” he said. “Freedom has prevailed in the Sunshine State.”
Nearly 70,000 Floridians have died from COVID-19 since the pandemic began.
The governor said “if Florida had not led the way,” the country would probably look like Canada.
“My duty is to stand up and protect the jobs of the people I represent,” DeSantis said. “I’m not going to try and protect my own hide.”
DeSantis said President Joe Biden hates him and the state of Florida because they “stand up to him.”
He did not mention the crisis in Ukraine. Read more on DeSantis’ address here.
Former Sec. of State Pompeo spoke Friday.
“We see on our TV the bombs, the missiles, the Soviet tanks, the Russia tanks moving across Ukraine,” Pompeo said.
In a 15-minute speech from the CPAC stage, Pompeo criticized the Biden administration’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“We’ve seen a Russia dictator now terrorize the Ukrainian people because America didn’t demonstrate the resolve that we did for the four years prior,” Pompeo said.
Pompeo highlighted his time as secretary, claiming that under former President Donald Trump, the country had a stronger stance in the world.
“It was peace through strength. It was Reagan’s model. It was the model we used for four years in the Trump administration. We put America first and we told people around the world you cannot tread on us,” Pompeo said.