 |
Donald Trump will emerge from the wings to frame himself as the future of the Republican party in a comeback speech to position the former president for a 2024 tilt at the top job.
Mr Trump is giving his first major speech since leaving office in January which is expected to inch “right up to the line of announcing another campaign” without doing so, Fox News reports.
Weeks after his second impeachment trial, Mr Trump will blast his successor President Joe Biden and will try to cement his status as the party’s undisputed leader going forward despite his loss in November.
Extracts of his closing speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Florida to be delivered on Monday morning (Australian time) were released to various media outlets ahead of time.
“I stand before you today to declare that the incredible journey we began together four years ago is far from over,” Mr Trump will say, according to an excerpt.
“We are gathered this afternoon to talk about the future – the future of our movement, the future of our party, and the future of our beloved country.”
Mr Trump is expected to dispel the idea of him starting his own political party by telling conservatives: “We are not starting new parties, and we will not be dividing our power and our strength. Instead, we will be united and strong like never before.”
Mr Trump remains a divisive figure in the Republican party which has to find a way to move forward in the aftermath of his controversial presidency which culminated in the Capitol riots.
The event so far at a Hyatt hotel in Orlando has been a tribute to Trump and Trumpism, complete with a golden statue in his likeness.
Speakers, including many potential GOP 2024 hopefuls, have argued the party must embrace the former president and his followers, even after the deadly riot at the Capitol.
“We definitely won’t win back the White House in 2024 if we erase Donald Trump,” said Republican Jim Banks of Indiana.
On Mr Biden, Mr Trump is expected to rebuke what he will frame as the new administration’s first month of failures, including Mr Biden’s approach to immigration and his decision to halt construction of Mr Trump’s southern border wall.
Mr Trump will also attack Mr Biden’s foreign policy and his handling of the economy as the country continues to grapple with the coronavirus pandemic.
It is highly unusual for past American presidents to publicly criticise their successors so soon after leaving office.
Ex-presidents typically step out of the spotlight for at least a while.
Barack Obama was famously seen kitesurfing on vacation after he departed, while George W Bush said he believed Mr Obama “deserves my silence” and took up painting.
