According to an excerpt of his speech obtained by CNN, Trump plans to say that he will steer the GOP toward a more isolationist posture — a position that puts him at odds with his former United Nations ambassador, Nikki Haley, who has already launched her 2024 bid, and several other potential Republican presidential contenders.
“We are never going back to a party that wants to give unlimited money to fight foreign endless wars but demands we cut veteran benefits and retirement benefits at home,” Trump is expected to say.
HIs speech asserts that President Joe Biden is leading the nation into “oblivion” and other Republicans would not be able to correct course.
“I am the only candidate who can make this promise: I will prevent World War Three,” the excerpt reads.
Trump is popular at the annual conservative gathering. He was the first choice of 62% of CPAC attendees who were asked who they preferred as the GOP nominee in 2024. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who did not attend this year’s event, finished second with 20% support. The straw poll is not a scientific survey and not representative of the broader GOP electorate, as it is limited to CPAC attendees.
In his speech, Trump is expected to vow to purge the government of “entrenched political dynasties in both parties.”
“In 2016, I declared: I am your voice. Today, I add: I am your warrior. I am your justice. And for those who have been wronged and betrayed: I am your retribution,” Trump plans to say. “I will totally obliterate the deep state. I will fire the unelected bureaucrats and shadow forces who have weaponized our justice system. And I will put the people back in charge of this country again.”
Trump’s remarks will conclude the slimmed-down CPAC gathering, as the 2024 presidential race begins to take shape and several high-profile Republicans prepare their bids to block Trump from winning the party’s nomination for a third consecutive cycle.
According to the excerpt, Trump will claim that the country, as he sees it, “will be lost forever” if he does not prevail in 2024.
“This is the final battle — they know it, I know it, you know it, everybody knows it. Either they win, or we win. And I promise you this: If you put me back in the White House, their reign will be over, and America will be a free nation once again,” Trump is expected say.
Trump also plans to use the speech to promise a drastic crackdown on illegal immigration and crime in major cities, including “tough consequences on juvenile criminals” who he will call “out-of-control monsters.”
