Democrats thought that a second impeachment of Donald Trump would the final nail in the coffin of his political career.
If Trump’s comeback at the Conservative Political Action Committee Conference this weekend is any indication, however, Trump’s dominance is far from over.
Roaring back
After weeks of silence, while Democrats and never-Trumpers twisted themselves into knots over yet another bogus and unconstitutional impeachment push, Trump is poised to come back stronger than ever.
Scheduled to make his first major post-election speech on Sunday, the buzz has been building around Trump’s comeback all week.
CPAC organizers have positioned themselves as decidedly pro-Trump, declining to invite former “Conservative” fixtures such as Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) and Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) after their decision to attempt to ingratiate themselves with the left during Trump’s impeachment.
Donald Trump Jr. joked earlier this week that the event is so pro-Trump that it could be called “TPAC.”
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) delivered a thundering speech on Friday praising Trump and filled with hope for the future, declaring that Democrats “look at Donald J. Trump and they look at the millions and millions of people inspired, who went to battle fighting alongside President Trump and they are terrified and they want him to go away.”
“But let me tell you this right now, Donald J. Trump ain’t going anywhere,” he added.
Though CPAC is traditionally seen as a way for Conservative candidates to boost their visibility, Trump’s dominance at the event may squash the hopes of other 2024 GOP contenders like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
“Important reset”
Trump has yet to make his official entrance at CPAC. He’s scheduled to close out the event with a speech Sunday evening, which event organizer and former Trump operative Matt Schlapp noted marks a “very, very important reset.”
“He thinks about what he is going to say right until he starts saying it,” Schlapp told Fox News’ “Fox and Friends” on Thursday. “I think he is talking to advisers, people he trusts, trying to ask where should I go with this speech? He knows it’s a very, very important reset for him and for the country, and for half the country, and for so many people here in this ballroom.”
Addressing the glaring gap between Never-Trump Republicans and Trump supporters, Schlapp explained that:
One of the reasons he was a great conservative president is because people just didn’t immediately go on the attack like so many establishment Republicans did.They never really liked Donald Trump. They liked his policies but then they thought they could shove him off the stage. My message to the establishment Republicans, you don’t have to like Trump to love his policies. You should love the millions of people he brought to this coalition.”