President Donald Trump celebrated his first month back in office with a spirited speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference, blending humor, policy, and a triumphant victory lap.
Welcomed by a thunderous standing ovation, Trump took the stage and was repeatedly interrupted by applause and cheers from the enthusiastic crowd, the Washington Times reported.
“On November 5 we stood up to all the corrupt forces that were destroying America. We took away their power. We took away their confidence. They lost their confidence, you know?” the president said. “They lost their confidence. It’s so nice to watch. And we took back our country.”
Trump declared that his administration had “liberated” the country from a Democrat-led government that prioritized issues like transgender rights while neglecting the economy and immigration. He described his election victory as “the great liberation of America.”
His remarks capped off the fourth and final day of the conservative political conference. Trump first addressed CPAC nearly 14 years ago, when his sharp criticism of President Obama began earning him support among Republicans.
That year, he won the CPAC straw poll of potential presidential candidates and told the enthusiastic crowd that their backing helped ignite his 2016 run for the presidency.
During his 90-minute speech, Trump took aim at the Biden administration, the news media, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and the government agencies he is working to dismantle. At times, the speech resembled a greatest hits list of his most frequent targets.
“Every single thing he touched turned to [expletive,]” Trump said of his predecessor, former President Joe Biden.
The crowd responded with enthusiasm as Trump recounted a conversation with conservative leader Franklin Graham, son of evangelist Billy Graham, who, according to the president, cautioned him against using foul language in his speeches.
“You know, sometimes you need it for emphasis,” Trump clarified.
While highlighting his accomplishments, Trump praised the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency and criticized USAID, a U.S. foreign aid agency, along with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. He labeled both organizations as “ultra-left.”
“We’ve also effectively ended the left-wing scam known as USAID,” Trump told the crowd.
“So many people have been hurt,” he said of the CFPB. “We’ve escorted the radical left bureaucrats out of the building and locked the doors behind them. We’ve gotten rid of thousands.”
The president then shifted focus to his efforts on reducing the number of federal employees, saying his administration has eliminated “all of the unnecessary, incompetent and corrupt bureaucrats from the federal workforce.”
Thousands of federal workers have been laid off as part of the Trump administration’s sweeping efforts to downsize the government significantly. The cuts are impacting nearly every department, from the Pentagon to national parks.
The last mass reduction in federal workers took place during President Bill Clinton’s two terms. With help from the GOP-controlled Congress, Clinton managed to balance the federal budget and reduce the federal workforce by about 16 percent, or around 360,000 employees, under his “Reinventing Government” initiative.
During CPAC, the organization conducted a presidential straw poll that found overwhelming support — 61 percent — for Vice President JD Vance succeeding Trump after his term.
“You guys are the conservative movement. You guys are the thought leaders, the opinion leaders. We asked folks who they thought would be the Republican nominee, who they preferred for the Republican for president in 2028. And who is it?” McLaughlin & Associates Polls President Jim McLaughlin said to attendees at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in Oxon Hill, Maryland, where the event was held.
“JD Vance. And why? Because he’s viewed as the closest thing to Donald Trump,” he said.