Trump speech at CPAC 2021: Ex-POTUS expected to slam Joe Biden's policy reversals and map out GOP's future
Former President Donald Trump is reportedly expected to offer a stinging rebuke of the Biden administration in his first major post-presidential appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Orlando on Sunday, February 28, as he looks to reportedly cement his hold on the Republican Party for the foreseeable future.
Trump will reassert himself as the GOP's undisputed leader on Sunday as the party tries to resolve internal conflicts heading into the 2022 midterms, where it hopes to win back the House and the Senate, claimed a report by The Hill.
It's worth noting that the Democrats have a slim majority in the House and each party holds 50 seats in the Senate, which reportedly means the Republicans can reclaim both chambers in a midterm when an incumbent president's party has lost seats historically, according to the outlet.
RELATED ARTICLES
Trump is cited to be the favorite to win the GOP nomination if he runs in 2024, considering his popularity within the party, according to The Hill. A Morning Consult/Politico poll released last week found that 59 percent of GOP voters wanted Trump to play a "major role" within the party going forward, while 54 percent said they would vote for the former president if he enters the 2024 Republican primary.
Trump's speech on February 28 will be his first major address since leaving office and is hotly anticipated by conservatives across the nation, thousands of whom have flocked to Florida to attend the annual conference and discuss the future of the conservative movement in a Biden era, according to reports.
"He knows it's a very important reset for him and for the country and for half the country and so many people who are here in this ballroom," CPAC Chairman Matt Schlapp told 'Fox & Friends' on Thursday, February 25.
Trump is reportedly expected to delve deep into issues like illegal immigration, sources told Fox News on Friday, February 26, especially after Biden took major steps to roll back his predecessor's policies on the border wall construction and those that prevented illegal migrants from being released into the country.
Meanwhile, the former president is also reportedly expected to accuse his successor of pushing identity politics instead of "uniting" the country as promised in his inaugural address. Trump will also speak on workforce controversies such as the closing of the Keystone XL pipeline and the need to reopen schools. Sources said he will also stress on the need to break up Big Tech, according to Fox News.
Despite leaving office last month, Trump is arguably the de-facto leader of the conservative movement. In fact, some of his staunchest opponents also believe he would easily win the 2024 GOP presidential nomination if he decides to run, according to reports.
Sen Mitt Romney (Utah), one of Trump's most vocal critics in the GOP, said this week that the former president would cruise to victory should he run in a 2024 primary. "I expect he will continue playing a role. I don't know if he'll run in 2024 or not. But if he does, I'm pretty sure he will win the nomination," Romney told the New York Times-Deal Book.
On Sunday, Trump will be speaking directly to his most faithful supporters. We had earlier reported how a golden statue of the 45th POTUS was wheeled around the CPAC corridors. "Trump's remarks come down to three things: 'I've won, Biden's terrible, and I might run again'," Republican strategist Doug Heye, another vocal critic of Trump, told The Hill. "On that third part, he won't definitively answer," he added.