With Bolsonaro in the audience, Trump criticizes Biden and makes a candidate speech

At the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), the most influential right-wing conference in the world, which lasted four days, former US President Donald Trump closed the lineup of speakers tonight (4) with a typical election campaign speech .

During his long speech, Trump saluted former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro (PL), who was sitting in the front row of the audience, calling him a “friend” and “a very popular leader of South America”, including his son, the Deputy Eduardo Bolsonaro (PL-SP), also present. When the Brazilian colleague stood up and received applause and shouts, Trump commented that the word “myth” sounded “interesting”. Bolsonaro spoke hours earlier at CPAC.

With ironic comments and harsh criticism of his successor Joe Biden, Trump exploited failures and contradictions accumulated by the White House on military and economic issues. By comparing his tenure to the current administration, he sought to remain competitive in the fight for the GOP nomination to run for president in 2024.

Trump has emphasized the importance of securing the United States’ borders, mentioning the construction of a wall on the border with Mexico and criticizing the spending of trillions of dollars to defend the borders of other nations. In the mantra of “America First”, he condemned “anti-American” actions to expose soldiers around the world and falter with trade negotiations, particularly with China.

Adding the tonic of “return to being proud of the country”, which adds to the slogan of “Making America great again”, the former president took the opportunity to advance points of his electoral platform, such as empowering parents in school decisions, guaranteeing the citizen’s choice for cars powered by fossil fuels, defending freedom of expression on social networks and even encouraging births (“yes, I want a baby boom”).

In the economic area, he promised to end the “demolition of companies under the Biden administration” due to inflation, a phenomenon that he attributed to excessive regulations, including the environmental reconfiguration of businesses installed abroad. Trump criticized American funding to multilateral bodies in general and the World Health Organization (WHO) in particular, for being “dominated by China”.

Still in the external area, he said that he could prevent conflicts like the one in Eastern Europe “with a simple phone call”, refuting accusations that he had been weak with China and especially Russia in the past.

In the midst of investigations by American intelligence into the storage and irregular use of secret White House documents, he mocked the scope of the FBI’s undertaking that it also reached Biden. “The FBI will make the revolution?”, she joked. She also hinted at alleged crimes committed by the son of the current president related to Ukraine.

In the legal field, he once again condemned “the fury of the prosecutors” against him and praised military personnel who endorsed his government policies. Trump repeated it with personal pride and an example to rival Democrats that he was the first US president in decades not to involve the superpower in any new war.

Conservative event serves as a showcase for other presidential candidates

Considered the biggest conservative event in the world, CPAC served as a previous platform for other Republican Party pre-candidates in the 2024 presidential race, who may challenge Trump in the primary elections.

Among these, the highlight was Nikki Halley, former governor of South Carolina and former US ambassador to the United Nations, who has already placed herself in the race and spoke on Friday (3) at the event. Another candidate for the present 2024 nomination is businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, as well as Senators Ted Cruz of Texas and Rick Scott of Florida, who are seeking re-election.

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon, as well as Donald Trump Jr. and Lara Trump, the former president’s children, also spoke on Friday (3). Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a potential Republican presidential candidate and a prime target of Trump’s latest criticism, and former Vice President Mike Pence were absent.

The Republican Party, also called the Great Old Party (GOP, for its acronym in English), remains torn between relaunching Trump or betting on a new name.