President Donald Trump celebrated what he called the ‘great liberation of America’ in front of thousands of supporters, as he took a verbal victory lap, listing his achievements after a month in office.
Members of the audience openly wept as he took the stage at a gathering of conservatives just outside Washington, D.C. on Saturday afternoon.
‘We’re draining the swamp and were restoring government by the people for the people,’ he told them.
‘For years, Washington was controlled by a sinister group of radical left Marxist warmongers and corrupt special interest who drained our wealth, attacked our liberties, obliterated our borders and sucked our country dry, not any longer.’
His speech marked the climax of the Conservative Political Action Conference, just outside Washington, D.C.
He hit all his favorite targets during a freewheeling address that triggered cheers and chants of ‘USA, USA, USA’ among his supporters.
He spoke approvingly of Elon Musk’s work to cut government spending, claimed that he was close to deal with Ukraine over its mineral deposits, slammed members of the ‘deep state, highlighted his new cabinet secretaries, and reminded his audience of the scale of his victory.
‘Think of this. They won 525 counties, and we won 2600 counties, the biggest margin ever recorded,’ he said
President Donald Trump takes the stage at CPAC at National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland
Members of the audience wiped their eyes as he made his entrance
Trump used the speech as a lap of honor after a month back in office
‘And incredibly, for the first time ever, all 50 states shifted toward the Republican Party. It’s never happened before.’
Trump’s victory in November capped an extraordinary political comeback, surviving election defeat in 2020, a bullet through his ear and four criminal prosecutions.
Saturday was a day to celebrate all that and talk up his actions so far.
‘We’ve achieved more in four weeks than most administrations achieve in four years,’ he said.
He repeated a promise to visit Fort Knox to check on its gold reserves (a nod to an online conspiracy theory pushed by Musk that it is missing.)
‘We want to see lots of nice, beautiful, shiny gold in Fort Knox,’ he said. ‘Don’t be totally surprised if we open the door and say there’s nothing here.’
He may have won the election and forced his predecessor out of the campaign altogether, but he could not resist saving special scorn for Joe Biden.
The floodgates opened during a performance of ‘America the Beautiful’ before Trump took the stage at the climax of the gathering of conservatives
Former Israeli hostages of Hamas react as US President Donald Trump namechecks them
Trump has just marked one month in office and shows no sign slowing his breakneck pace
‘Joe is the worst. And believe me, I have to clean up the mess,’ he said.
‘I’m cleaning up the mess, and it is a mess on the border … with inflation to go after .
‘Every single thing he touched turned to s***.’
The past week has been dominated by Trump’s stance on the war in Ukraine. He has kickstarted a new push for peace after speaking with Russian President Vladimir Putin, angering Ukrainians who fear they are being kept from negotiations.
On Saturday, he said the United States was close to an agreement with Ukraine on sharing revenue from its minerals, which he sees as crucial to securing a settlement.
‘I think we’re pretty close to a deal,’ he said.
He added that Washington wanted to recoup the billions of dollars in military aid Washington has given to Ukraine in its fight to repel Russian invaders. He said the United States is asking for rare earths, oil or ‘anything we can get.’
People wearing Trump masks drink at a bar inside Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center during the Conservative Political Action Conference
CPAC is an annual gathering of conservatives, held just across the water from Washington, D.C., at National Harbor, Maryland
US entrepreneur and US special government employee Elon Musk with a chainsaw given to him by Argentine President Javier Milei at the Conservative Political Action Conference
Earlier Argentina’s President Javier Milei urged the crowd to keep up their support for the president and billionaire adviser Elon Musk as they slash their way through the federal government.
‘The only rational path is to shrink the size of the state as much as possible,’ Milei said. ‘Reducing the size of the state is in itself an act of justice.’
He was the leader responsible for the most viral moment of the conference so far, handing Musk a chainsaw which the Tesla founder then waved on stage.
Organizers also released the results of their straw poll of attendees, revealing who they would vote for if the 2028 Republican primary were held today.
It should overwhelming support for Trump’s vice president.
J.D. Vance claimed 61 percent of the votes.
Trump’s former strategist Steve Bannon finished a distant second, with 12 percent.
