Orlando, Florida, United States – Regardless of whether Donald Trump launches the third campaign for the White House in 2024, it became clear over the weekend that the former president of the United States has a strong grip on the party. Republican. Yet, despite overwhelming support, there are signs that some hard-nosed Trump supporters are open to seeing someone other than Trump to be the future of his political movement.
Over four days, culminating in Trump’s first post-primary speech on Sunday, Republican officials, lawmakers and activists gathered with Trump’s strongest supporters at an Action Conference Conservative Politician, or CPAC, the largest annual Republican political gathering in the country. In his speech, Trump complained that he was open to another run for the presidency, but vowed he would not leave the Republican Party to do so.
The conference was full of signs that Trump has already put the Republican Party back in his image. Attendees donned Trump hats, T-shirts and bags. They asked for photos with his son, Donald Trump Jr., and former Trump campaign advisers. During panel talks, speakers argued, falsely, that Democrats stole the primary election, a religion that is widespread among Trump supporters.
Before Trump arrived on Sunday, thousands of people gathered in “Make America Great Again” uniforms and waved Trump flags on all sides lining the path of the approaching motorboat. A life-size golden image of Trump that was displayed inside the conference was moved to a nearby corner among the crowd. An advertising truck goes through like a parade with a sign that reads “JANUARY 6TH REUNION!” A reference to a Washington rally that ended with Trump supporters storming the U.S. Capitol building and attacking police.
Some ready to move on
A secret straw poll of conference attendees showed that 55 percent would support Trump if he ran again, when he would match up with more than 20 other Republican candidates.
Trump’s 55 percent figure hit political viewers as a low surprise, considering 97 percent of attendees expressed disapproval of Trump’s prime term. The census also revealed that only about two-thirds of attendees said they wanted to see Trump run for president again. Instead, some said they wanted to see a new candidate carry Trump’s policies instead.
When asked who would support them if Trump did not run, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, who has opposed lockouts during the COVID-19 pandemic, topped the list with 43 per cent and 11 per cent respectively. Support for all other potential candidates, including famous Republicans such as former Vice President Mike Pence and Senator Ted Cruz, fell in the same numbers.
Cliff Vandenbosch, from Venice, Florida, is a tough Trump supporter but feels the former president should not run again in 2024 [Chris Moody / Al Jazeera]
“I support the movement created by Donald Trump. The truth is, Trump is an 80-year-old as a candidate, ”said Cliff Vandenbosch, a Trump supporter from Venice, Florida, who wore a black T-shirt that he read,“ B ’ I prefer COVID-10 Than Biden-20 ”when he put an American flag attached to a fishing pole. (Trump will be 78 at the time of the next primary election in 2024.) “It will come and go. I believe the movement he has created can do a lot more. “
Sandy Stegmaier, a Trump supporter who hailed from Madeira Beach, Florida, said she would vote for Trump again in 2024, but is also open to finding a new candidate to continue his legacy.
“What I like about Trump, he says it’s the way it is, it’s not censored,” Stegmaier said. “We can’t replace Trump, but you need someone with that passion.”
Trump’s arrest of GOP
Even if he does not run, Trump, who received more than 74 million votes in November, can still gain great power over the party’s nomination contest. Trump signed Sunday that he would direct that energy against a Republican who disobeyed him.
“The Republican Party should not be feared by Donald Trump. This is his foundation,” said Russell Lane, a college-age Trump supporter who traveled to Florida from southern California with his father. to see the former president. “The 70 million people who stand behind it.” You’re not taking Trump forward, you’re accepting his base, his oppressive, pissed-off base. “
Trump supporters hold signs and waves for drivers outside the conference center at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando, Florida [John Raoux/AP Photo]
During his speech, Trump called out individual Republicans who have been publicly criticized, including Rep. Liz Cheney and Senate Minority Languages Leader Mitch McConnell – referring to them as “RINOs.” or “Republican by Name Only” – and urged his supporters to work to end political careers.
“The RINOs with whom we are surrounded will destroy the Republican Party and the American worker and destroy our own country,” Trump said Sunday night to a conference room full. “Get rid of them all . “
Many Republican leaders seemed to get the message. Speakers at the conference, including lawyers with possible primary intentions for the future, praised Trump and appeared to have taken over. them to his anonymous signature style. They were on stage puncturing speeches with assurances that they would never “pull back,” or “apologize. “
“He’s back!” said Nancy Freeman, a GOP activist from Collier County, Florida. “He went after the RINOS and gave us our marching orders, to go after them.”
Supporter Sandy Stegmaier, who said she attended a “Stop the Steal” rally in Washington on Jan. 6 that preceded the U.S. Capitol unrest – said she noted she did not enter the Capitol – that she would never support a Republican candidate who claims that President Joe Biden legitimately won the election.
“Trump is now Trump’s Republican Party,” she said. “The RINOs are gone.” We’re not going to vote for RINOs. It must be Trump’s conservative party, no matter who it is. run in 2024 or not. “