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Trump says he 'wants to save our nation' post-CPAC speech, Internet mocks him as 'sounding defeated'

Trump made a lot of promises for the future of the nation, but Twitter couldn't help but focus on how 'miserable' Trump looked and sounded 

Donald Trump's first public speech since leaving the White House at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Sunday, February 28, 2021, was marked with great applause from his supporters. In an interview following the speech, Trump made a lot of promises for the future of the nation, but Twitter couldn't help but focus on how "miserable" Trump looked and sounded. 

Moments after his speech at CPAC 2021, in an interview, Trump spoke about his record in endorsing candidates, having an impact on a party that perhaps no other former president before him has had, and finally whether he has anyone in mind who could win the 2024 nomination instead of him. As the former president went on and on, social media users mocked his physical appearance. 

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"I'm not sure that anybody should be able to win, other than us," Trump told Newsmax TV's Mark Halperin during a back-stage interview at the convention which took place in Orlando, Florida on Sunday. "Look, I've done a good job for this party. We had the greatest economy in history, and then we rebuilt it a second time."

Referring to the coronavirus pandemic as the "China virus", he said that the foundations the administration built, he added, "were so strong that no other country could even compete with us in terms of what we've done the second time," or after COVID-19. "We've done a great job, and I think based on the job performance, I'm not sure that anybody should be able to win, other than us," Trump said during the interview. 

Trump wants to "save our nation"

Trump added that he gave the speech at CPAC instead of leaving it to GOP leaders like Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell or Rep Liz Cheney, R-Wyo because "we have to save our nation". "We have to stop some of the things that are going on that are so bad for our country," he told Halperin. "When you look at the border, when you look at what's happening with energy independence when you look at so many different elements of what they're doing, they'll destroy our country," he said, taking a direct jab at the Biden administration.

During the speech, Trump called out Biden and "the most disastrous first month of any president in modern history" - criticising new policies on immigration, national security and the covid pandemic relief response. "They're cheating the next generation of Americans out of the future that they deserve, and they do deserve this future," Trump said. "They're going to grow up and they're going to have a scar."

'The man is shrinking'

Twitter was mostly in splits about his performance. "The most memorable thing from this interview is how miserable Trump looks and sounds," Vox journalist Aaron Rupar said. "How can we tell if he looks or sounds miserable. He's looked and sounded miserable for 70 years," another user shot back. "He does! He seemed defeated. Though, I am hesitant to count him out. Been there, done that. It didn't work," another user said. 

"What is going on with his hair? I mean, more than normal, what is going on? It looks..blurry," one wondered, to which another user theorised, "I was struggling with how to describe it and you nailed it he must have sprayed some color on his scalp and then the combover." Another user tweeted, "His shoulders aren’t in his suit - watch the video. He’s pretending he fits the suit when he doesn’t- at all. I mainly mention it because he’s always been so cruel to those who are not looking good/overweight/whatever. The man is shrinking! :-)"

Many users pointed to the littlest details from the video. "Anyone else notice the occasional vibration on his left side just below the flag pin? Easiest to see in the closeup shots. What is that? His body seems a bit jerky, too," one said. "All that wiggling, swaying and twitching - he has lost so much control of his body/muscles!" another user noted.