In a provocative address to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Saturday, former President Donald Trump positioned himself as a “proud political dissident,” promising his potential re-election would signify a “liberation day” for his followers and a “judgement day” for his adversaries.
This bold rhetoric, delivered just days after Trump drew parallels between his legal predicaments and those of the late Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny, marks a significant intensification of his previous statements.
Trump addressed a packed CPAC audience, stating, “In many ways, we’re living in hell right now, because the fact is, Joe Biden is a threat to democracy. I stand before you today, not only as your past and hopefully future president but as a proud political dissident.”
The former president’s remarks concluded a four-day event heavily influenced by the more conspiratorial elements of his movement. Inside CPAC, held in Maryland across the Potomac River from the site of Trump’s unsuccessful attempts to retain power, a revisionist narrative of the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol is widely accepted.
Trump, who a year ago told CPAC, “I am your retribution,” shared a new definition of political vengeance that stopped short of punishing his opponents. “Your liberty will be our ultimate reward, and the unprecedented success of the United States of America will be my ultimate and absolute revenge,” he said.
However, other CPAC speakers remained committed to a more exacting fight. Tom Fitton, president of the right-wing legal advocacy group Judicial Watch, called for the prosecution of former President Barack Obama, eliciting chants of “Lock him up” from the audience.
As Trump addressed CPAC, voters in South Carolina headed to the polls for the Republican presidential primary. There, Trump is competing against the state’s former governor, Nikki Haley, who has pledged to challenge Trump through Super Tuesday.
Trump’s address, however, focused on the general election and his likely rematch with Biden. In a speech filled with ominous imagery, Trump painted a dystopian picture of America under a second Biden term, predicting “constant blackouts,” “rampant inflation,” increased illegal border crossings, and foreign policy decisions leading to “World War III.”
“If crooked Joe Biden and his thugs win in 2024, the worst is yet to come. Our country will go and sink to levels that were unimaginable,” he warned. “Our country is being destroyed, and the only thing standing between you and its obliteration is me.”
In response, Biden’s campaign labeled Trump’s remarks as “bizarre” and accused Trump and Republicans of being the real threats to freedom. “Donald Trump is a loser: under his presidency America lost more jobs than any president in modern history, women in more than 20 states have lost the freedom to make their own health care decisions because Trump overturned Roe, and the MAGA wing of the Republican Party lost their damn minds putting Trump’s quest for power over our democracy,” said Biden campaign spokesman Ammar Moussa.