On March 4, during the Conservative Political Action Conference in Maryland (CPAC), former U.S. President Donald Trump confidently told reporters that leaving the race would not even cross his mind after attendees at the conference named him their favored presidential candidate shortly before he appeared on stage. This seems to have renewed his fervor and zeal for running in the 2024 presidential contest.
Ever since Nov. 15, 2022, when he officially announced his presidential ambitions, Trump had been keeping his campaign low profile. However, his tone was overtly over-confident at the CPAC session where he bragged he would continue his 2024 presidential campaign even if he was indicted in any of the federal or state investigations he is currently facing.
"I wouldn’t even think about leaving," he swanked. He has genuine reasons to be in such an elated mood. He was the most prevalent personality at the annual conservative meet. Trump was the top choice for 62% of the CPAC attendees as their 2024 Republican nominee. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who did not attend the conference this year, came in second place with 20% support. Although the straw poll is not a scientific survey and is not reflective of the larger GOP voter base, as it is limited to those who attend the CPAC, its results are consistent with all the recent opinion polls on the same subject.
Factually speaking, at this moment, Trump is far ahead of other presidential hopefuls within the Republican Party. This is typical of Trumpist style to bully his opponents whenever he feels he is in a stronger position.
With the 2024 presidential race beginning to take form and numerous high-profile Republicans getting ready to launch their campaigns to prevent Trump from securing the party's nomination for the third consecutive cycle, he displayed his signature arrogance at the CPAC session with a hard-edged and firebrand tone. A cursory glance at the content of his two-hour-long speech, which also divulges the main contours of his presidential campaign, would reveal that he has adopted a belligerent stance toward all his opponents – within and outside the Republican Party. Be it the deep state, Democrats or the establishment within the Republican Party, he is preparing to have a direct collision with all of them in his desperate bid to win the Presidency in 2024.
He indicated his plans to shift the GOP toward a more isolationist territory, which is contrary to the views of some high-profile Republicans who are considering running for president, such as former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley, who has already announced her bid for the 2024 election. This puts him at odds with not only Haley but also with several other potential contenders for the Republican presidential nomination.
"We are never going back to a party that wants to give unlimited money to fight foreign endless wars but demands we cut veteran benefits and retirement benefits at home. I am the only candidate who can make this promise: I will prevent World War III ... Before I arrive in the Oval Office, I will have the disastrous war between Russia and Ukraine ended ... I know what to say," he declared while showing his serious displeasure over the Joe Biden administration’s generous support package to Ukraine. It also shows that he is trying to attract anti-Ukraine war voters, which are now on the rise in the U.S.
Similarly, he also lashed out at Republicans who are advocating for modifications to Social Security and Medicare to reduce expenses and restructure the government. His strategy is to counter, regardless of merits or demerits, every step taken by the Biden administration to decrease the social security benefits to the American voters. The most striking feature of his speech was his blunt attack on the deep state or the American establishment whom he considers his enemy for "overturning" his victory in 2020. At the CPAC session, he again reiterated his allegation of electoral rigging in the 2020 presidential contest.
Trump used inordinately harsh wording while talking about his intense disliking for his detractors in the deep state.
"In 2016, I declared: I am your voice. Today, I add: I am your warrior. I am your justice. And for those who have been wronged and betrayed: I am your retribution. Not going to let this happen. ... I will totally obliterate the deep state. I will fire the unelected bureaucrats and shadow forces who have weaponized our justice system as it has never been weaponized before. And I will put the people back in charge of this country again," said Trump in his attempt to draw the clear battle lines for the coming days.
Being a typical populist leader, Trump knows very well how to instigate emotional thrust among his target audience by resorting to verbal slandering against his opponents. He is adept in this art and he is ready to display his expertise with more "creativity" in the coming days. Surrounded by a crowd sporting "Make America great again" (MAGA) hats, and in the presence of Brazil's former far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro, Trump drew on the crowd's enthusiasm and employed the authoritarian rhetoric that has defined his ascent to power seven years ago. He is certainly in a "high-octane" mode and preparing for a blitzkrieg campaign to outcompete his Republican challengers who are already on the back foot if viewed against the opinion polls results.
Trump and the former South Carolina governor Haley are the only major declared candidates for the Republican nomination, though DeSantis is among others widely expected to run. But DeSantis is yet to officially declare his intentions. Trump is relying on his firm grip over the Republican Party's machinery and support base to secure the party's nomination, even in the face of competition from former Cabinet members who are also running for president, such as Haley, Mike Pence and Mike Pompeo.
However, this aspect of the challenge may be relatively easier for him. Nonetheless, we must expect a very aggressive and belligerent Trump to run a high-voltage campaign in the coming days. He is pumped up, but desperate, to win the race this time.