Supporters of Donald Trump cheered their hero on Saturday on the third day of the annual American conservative convention in Orlando, Florida, with a lot of red caps and flags of the United States.
At CPAC, the former president, who has not lost his aura among the participants, made an 86-minute speech in the evening, hammering his usual formulas against “the radical left” and its “witch hunt” against him.
And after a year away from public view, the fervor with which the billionaire was received shows that the Republican Party still remains dominated by the aura of the former president, who has served only one term and has wiped out two lawsuits in dismissal.
The slogan “four more years!” was intoned by his supporters, who cheered wildly as he spoke out against “woke tyranny” and “cancel culture”.
The 75-year-old billionaire drew the most applause when he called “bullshit” the fact that the Democrats are presenting themselves as the party of democracy, and when he said that Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, “came to the White House and licked my ass”.
He also reiterated, without proof, that the 2020 election had been “rigged”, and alluded to a possible candidacy in 2024, as when he said: “We have done it twice and we have done it twice. refer to his 2020 defeat as a victory – but he left the public in the dark about his willingness to personally challenge Joe Biden for the next presidential term.
Vanessa Broussard, from Texas, is a strong supporter of the wealthy businessman. She says she barely slept the night before, so emotional was she to see him soon.
“I don’t think there are any words that can describe how I feel about Donald Trump,” Broussard, 40, said before the speech.
“I saw what he accomplished as the 45th president of the United States. We had a prosperous economy (…), a wall being built on our southern border. He made the country shine America was blossoming,” she adds enthusiastically.
– The providential man –
Before the intervention of the former president, the atmosphere had changed in the hotel where the convention is held. Thus flourished banners “Trump 2024” – the year of the upcoming presidential election – and pins proclaiming that the last election, won by Democrat Joe Biden, was stolen from him.
Signs also do not hesitate to insult the current president.
People everywhere wear caps with Donald Trump’s flagship slogan, “Make America Great Again”. Students, couples with children, elderly people, they all came for him.
For many conservatives here, Mr. Trump is the providential man, the one they hope to see return to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington.
Maria Boham, 59, came to the entrance of the conference compound to share this message.
“Without Donald Trump, no one is going to win these elections,” she said of the midterm polls next November and the 2024 presidential election.
“We will continue to support him because he defends God, he defends the family (…), he defends my values. Period”, she says.
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