In a campaign-style appearance, Donald Trump delivered a more-than-hour-long finale at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Saturday, reiterating his previous claims about his election victories, ending the war in Ukraine, the militarization of the US border, and what he referred to as the liberation of Washington from “deep-state bureaucrats.” Speaking to a packed auditorium at National Harbor in Maryland, Trump wholeheartedly supported his decision to deploy active-duty troops to the southern border, characterizing it as a response to an “invasion.” He also boasted that his administration had ended temporary protected status for hundreds of thousands of Haitian immigrants and tried to ban birthright citizenship for children of non-legal permanent residents. Trump claimed, “We’ve begun the largest deportation operation in American history.” In a digression, Trump portrayed his return to power as a victory against a “sinister group of radical informers, war-mongers, and corrupt special interests” who he accused of previously controlling Washington. He particularly targeted MSNBC, labeling it a “threat to democracy” and mocking Rachel Maddow for her allegedly low ratings. Additionally, Trump claimed Democrats had “lost their confidence” and possessed “the worst policy in history,” while boasting about his administration’s first month in office. He also mentioned various other early moves, including significant cuts to the federal workforce and regulations, baseless allegations of social security fraud, withdrawal from international climate agreements, and imposing new tariffs on China, Canada, and Mexico. Furthermore, Trump addressed ongoing international conflicts, falsely claiming that US aid to Ukraine surpassed European contributions and stating that the United States sent $350bn to the conflict-ridden country since the Russian invasion in 2022. This figure is far from the actual amount allocated by the US, with a government oversight office estimating it to be closer to $183bn. European nations collectively contributed more. Trump also referenced the recent return of Israeli hostages while incorrectly claiming that Biden had brought back “zero” hostages, overlooking the fact that the US helped broker the return of 105 hostages in November 2023. The annual conference has evolved into a crucial platform for Republican politicians to connect with conservative grassroots activists, and it is evident that the event has abandoned traditional GOP policies in favor of Trump’s MAGA-centric approach. Several international conservative politicians, including Argentine President Javier Milei, Polish President Andrzej Duda, and British Reform party leader Nigel Farage, attended the speech and were praised by Trump during his remarks.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/22/trump-cpac-speech