CPAC-Trump's Controversial Statements and Potential Presidential Candidates by Lily Locker
The Conservative Political Action Conference took place this past weekend in Washington, DC. Some very prominent figures in the current political sphere attended, including former president Donald Trump, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, and Mike Lindell, founder of the MyPillow company and active conspiracy theorist. The Conference, commonly shortened to CPAC, is a group meeting of the Republican party aimed to spread awareness of the party's leaders and policies when it comes to current events. 2024 presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, an Indian-American author and political activist also attended, making a speech about his potential goals for America. A straw poll was taken at the event, signaling who may win the Republican Party's official nomination.
Trump's speech at CPAC sparked controversy, with many people claiming he used the event to spread dishonesty. In his speech, Trump addressed the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, calling unspecified foreign nations "delinquent" and claiming they were not paying their fair share of NATO's common budget. He furthered this claim by stating, "NATO wouldn't even exist if I didn't get them to pay up." There is no evidence to back the claim that NATO members have failed to contribute funding, though it is true that the majority of NATO members were not meeting the suggested spending target, which is not compulsory for members of the Organization. Trump also claimed in his CPAC speech that he had the greatest job history "of any president ever." This statement is false. Trump's presidency pre-covid resulted in an addition of 6.7 million jobs, which is not record-breaking by any means. The highest job record took place during Clinton's first term in the 1990s, which resulted in an addition of almost 18.6 million jobs. Despite the controversy created around Trump's speech, a straw poll taken at CPAC revealed that 62% of attendees are in support of former president Trump's re-election in 2024, signaling he may become the Republican Party's official nominee in the upcoming presidential election.
Vivek Ramaswamy, author, CEO and 2024 presidential candidate, announced he was running for president just days before his appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference, where he introduced the ideas he would bring with him into his potential presidency. He said he would shut down the FBI and Department of Education, and stated he would work to end Affirmative Action, which allows minorities and women a "leg up" in application processes for federal jobs. Ramaswamy was not met with the enthusiasm he might have expected-the straw poll taken revealed an only 1% vote for him. In response to this, Ramaswamy alleged corruption within the event, claiming that he had received an offer to buy his way into the poll.
Ramaswamy is not the only newly announced presidential candidate that attended the Conservative Political Action Conference. Ron Desantis has not officially stated he is running for president in 2024, but he attended CPAC and was met with a 20% vote for Republican Nomination. Nikki Haley, a female presidential candidate, attended and spoke, speaking against the current president and Democrat party. She was not met with support from many of the attendees, being heckled with shouts of "We love Trump!" It seems as though many in attendance at the event are dead-set on Trump's re-election, and other candidates are not being met with support.
The Conservative Political Action Conference has revealed much division within the Republican Party, with candidates fighting to claim the title of the Republican Party's official nomination. The party has announced that they will release their final nomination for president at the 2024 Republican National Convention, which will take place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Until then, candidates will likely be doing everything they can to prove themselves to potential voters.
As for candidates belonging to the Democrat Party? We haven't heard much from them. Many members of the party are awaiting Biden's announcement whether he is running for re-election, but it seems unclear as to whether he'll try for another term. Many state governors belonging to the party have discussed running for office, but much of the attention when it comes to the future election seems to be on current president Joe Biden.
Trump's speech at CPAC sparked controversy, with many people claiming he used the event to spread dishonesty. In his speech, Trump addressed the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, calling unspecified foreign nations "delinquent" and claiming they were not paying their fair share of NATO's common budget. He furthered this claim by stating, "NATO wouldn't even exist if I didn't get them to pay up." There is no evidence to back the claim that NATO members have failed to contribute funding, though it is true that the majority of NATO members were not meeting the suggested spending target, which is not compulsory for members of the Organization. Trump also claimed in his CPAC speech that he had the greatest job history "of any president ever." This statement is false. Trump's presidency pre-covid resulted in an addition of 6.7 million jobs, which is not record-breaking by any means. The highest job record took place during Clinton's first term in the 1990s, which resulted in an addition of almost 18.6 million jobs. Despite the controversy created around Trump's speech, a straw poll taken at CPAC revealed that 62% of attendees are in support of former president Trump's re-election in 2024, signaling he may become the Republican Party's official nominee in the upcoming presidential election.
Vivek Ramaswamy, author, CEO and 2024 presidential candidate, announced he was running for president just days before his appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference, where he introduced the ideas he would bring with him into his potential presidency. He said he would shut down the FBI and Department of Education, and stated he would work to end Affirmative Action, which allows minorities and women a "leg up" in application processes for federal jobs. Ramaswamy was not met with the enthusiasm he might have expected-the straw poll taken revealed an only 1% vote for him. In response to this, Ramaswamy alleged corruption within the event, claiming that he had received an offer to buy his way into the poll.
Ramaswamy is not the only newly announced presidential candidate that attended the Conservative Political Action Conference. Ron Desantis has not officially stated he is running for president in 2024, but he attended CPAC and was met with a 20% vote for Republican Nomination. Nikki Haley, a female presidential candidate, attended and spoke, speaking against the current president and Democrat party. She was not met with support from many of the attendees, being heckled with shouts of "We love Trump!" It seems as though many in attendance at the event are dead-set on Trump's re-election, and other candidates are not being met with support.
The Conservative Political Action Conference has revealed much division within the Republican Party, with candidates fighting to claim the title of the Republican Party's official nomination. The party has announced that they will release their final nomination for president at the 2024 Republican National Convention, which will take place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Until then, candidates will likely be doing everything they can to prove themselves to potential voters.
As for candidates belonging to the Democrat Party? We haven't heard much from them. Many members of the party are awaiting Biden's announcement whether he is running for re-election, but it seems unclear as to whether he'll try for another term. Many state governors belonging to the party have discussed running for office, but much of the attention when it comes to the future election seems to be on current president Joe Biden.