Former President Donald Trump overwhelmingly received a CPAC straw ballot for the 2024 Republican nomination, defeating Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis by a 40-point margin.
Trump topped DeSantis, 62% to twenty%, in a Saturday ballot of two,028 Conservative Political Action Conference attendees, organizers mentioned.
Trump was the keynote speaker Saturday at CPAC, held simply outdoors Washington, D.C., in Oxon Hill, Md., the place he was launched as “the next president of the United States.”
“Thank you for the beautiful straw poll,” Trump mentioned. “That was a big win.”
Businessman Perry Johnson was a distant third, with 5% of the vote. Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who spoke on the convention on Friday, got here in fourth, at 3%.
No different potential GOP presidential candidates garnered greater than 1% of the vote, based on ballot outcomes.
The outcomes have been carefully aligned with the assist proven towards Trump all through the primary three days of the convention. Ninety-five % of attendees collaborating within the ballot mentioned they authorised of the job he did as president.
Trump scored increased in Saturday’s ballot than he did finally 12 months’s February convention in Orlando, when he topped DeSantis by a 59-28% margin, however decrease than final August in Dallas, when he had 69% of the vote to DeSantis’ 24%.
Many audio system on Saturday spoke favorably of Trump’s previous presidency, together with Keith Kellogg, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant common and former nationwide safety advisor to Vice President Mike Pence.
Kellogg asserted that the Russia-Ukraine struggle wouldn’t have occurred if Trump have been nonetheless president. Similar remarks have been additionally made by former appearing director of nationwide intelligence, Richard Grenell, who mentioned Trump was more durable on Russia than President Joe Biden.
Trump additionally addressed Ukraine, saying that NATO needs to be matching the United States’ contribution to their struggle effort.
In his speech, Trump likened at present’s authorities to Marxism and socialism, saying “We’re a nation in decline.” He mentioned Biden was “leading us into oblivion” and introduced up the laptop computer scandal together with his son, Hunter.
Referencing prison fees which have been leveled towards him, Trump mentioned that in distinction, “Nothing ever seems to happen” to Joe and Hunter Biden, and different Democrats, as a result of “Democrats stick together.”
“The era of woke and weaponized government is over,” mentioned Trump in his pitch for a second presidential time period. “We will finish what we started.”
But Trump additionally went after his personal celebration, significantly these he considers to be “fake Republicans,” comparable to former House Speaker Paul Ryan; former Florida Gov. and 2016 presidential candidate Jeb Bush; and Karl Rove, a prime staffer through the George W. Bush administration.
Trump additionally talked about Utah Senator and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who misplaced the presidency to Barack Obama in 2012, when talking about his Republican rivals.
“We are never going back to a party that wants to give unlimited money to fight foreign wars that are endless,” Trump mentioned, probably in reference to former President George W. Bush, who ordered navy motion in Iraq and Afghanistan following the 9/11 terrorist assaults.
He added, “People are tired of RINOs and globalists. They want to see America first. It’s not that complicated.”
Trump did, nonetheless, converse favorably of Marjorie Taylor Greene, a controversial far-right congresswoman from Georgia.
At Saturday’s convention, there wasn’t a lot point out of DeSantis, who’s broadly seen as Trump’s prime rival for the 2024 GOP nomination regardless of not but formally declaring a White House bid. The Florida governor spoke at CPAC final February, however opted to skip this 12 months’s occasion.
DeSantis spoke Thursday on the Club for Growth’s annual convention in Palm Beach, Fla., the place the GOP’s prime 120 donors gathered, the New York Post reported.
No purpose was given for DeSantis’ absence, however the Post reported some politicians opted to steer clear of CPAC this 12 months on account of sexual misconduct fees which have been leveled towards CPAC head Matt Schlapp by a former GOP male staffer.
Pence and New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, two different attainable Republican presidential candidates, skipped out on CPAC, however attended the Palm Beach convention as nicely, Fox News reported.
Both scored 1% (Pence) or decrease within the CPAC straw ballot.
DeSantis got here in second for vice chairman in CPAC’s straw ballot, garnering 14% of the vote.
Kari Lake, who misplaced the 2022 gubernatorial election in Arizona and spoke earlier within the day about how she just lately filed a lawsuit difficult these outcomes, topped the vice presidential ballot, at 20%.
Haley, the one different attainable candidate to interrupt double digits, was third, with 10% of the vote.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”