ORLANDO, Florida – Former President Donald Trump, in his speech on Sunday at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), clearly stated that he would not start a new political party, after some speculation last month that he could.
“We’re not starting new parties. You know – they kept saying, ‘He’s going to start a new party,'” said Trump. “We have the Republican Party. It will come together and be stronger than ever.”
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Speculation that Trump was considering starting a new party began shortly after the January 6 attack on Capitol Hill by a pro-Trump crowd. Many Republicans condemned Trump for calling a rally in Washington, DC, for the same day that Congress was set to certify President Biden’s electoral victory. They also said that he did not do enough to stop the crowd, as the situation became dangerous.
Former President of the United States Donald Trump speaks during the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center on February 29, 2020 in National Harbor, Maryland. Trump delivered the main speech at CPAC 2021. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis / Getty Images)
But outrage within the Republican Party eventually subsided and only a handful of House members and Republican Party senators voted to impeach Trump or to condemn him on the impeachment charge of inciting an insurrection. When the GOP started embracing Trump completely again, speculation that he would start a new party largely died out.
However, Sunday was Trump’s most definitive statement that he is committed to the GOP.
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“I’m not starting a new party,” continued Trump. “False news. False news, no. Wouldn’t it be brilliant? Let’s start a new party and we will split our vote so you can never win. No, we are not interested in that.”
Then Trump quoted the numbers from his CPAC poll, which he won by a wide margin.
Trump got 55% of the vote in the poll he was included in, with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in a distant second place with 21%.
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Trump’s approval rating in the straw poll was 97%, with 87% saying they strongly approve of Trump’s job as president. And 68% of people at CPAC in the straw poll said Trump should run for president again.
President Donald Trump embraces the American flag when he arrives to speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC 2019, in Oxon Hill, Maryland, on March 2, 2019. Trump again embraced an American flag when he started his speech at CPAC 2021. ( AP Photo / Carolyn Kaster)
Opinion polling is not a scientific poll. The CPAC announced itself as a pro-Trump meeting, which means that the self-selected crowd is probably more pro-Trump than the Republican Party in general. But scientific research generally shows that Trump dominates with the Republican Party base, even if not to the same extent as the CPAC poll.
In his speech, the former president also said it will be the Republican Party fighting the left after Democrats take over the Senate, the House and the White House.
“For the next four years, the brave Republicans in this room will be at the center of the effort to oppose radical Democrats, fake media and their culture of toxic cancellation,” said Trump. “And I want you to know that I will continue to fight right by your side. We will do what we did from the beginning, which is winning.”
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Trump’s speech is the final CPAC speech, which started Thursday night. Trump was about an hour late for the start time of his speech.
During his speech, Trump also protested Biden about immigration and reopening schools, hinted that he could run for president in 2024 and repeated his false claims that he won the 2020 presidential election.
Trump also replayed the viral moment of a previous CPAC appearance, when he embraced an American flag that was on stage. On Sunday, Trump embraced an American flag when he left to deliver his speech.
Fox Nation is a sponsor of CPAC.
Adam Shaw of Fox News contributed to this report.