There is little doubt that the 2021 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) is largely about Donald Trump and his four-year term as US president. A golden statue of the ex-POTUS, his son calling the event "TPAC", and numerous speakers praising Trump's achievements have left little room for other views.
The key guest will also physically attend the event – delivering a speech at the end of CPAC's fourth day on Sunday. Little is known about the contents of the address, but several reports and some educated guesses have shed light on what can be expected.
Possible Start of 2024 Bid
Trump's speech will be preceded by the publication of a CPAC poll that asked the event's attendees about their preferences for the 2024 presidential nomination. The ex-POTUS is reportedly on the list and hence has a chance of emerging as the dominant choice in the poll – right before delivering a speech that, as many media outlets suspect, might be either an official or unofficial start of his 2024 campaign. The former president, however, has only hinted that he might run again for the presidency, but has given no assurances so far.
Hitting Out at Opposition Within GOP
Prominent conservatives have touched several recurring topics in their speeches preceding Trump's Sunday address. One of them criticised RINOs (Republicans In Name Only) and opponents of Trump within the GOP. It is quite possible that Trump will continue this CPAC 2021 trend. He might namely have a few GOP members of Congress who voted in favour of impeaching and convicting him in January in his sights.
Those associated with the anti-Trump GOP opposition might also get caught in the crossfire, as Politico reported that the ex-president might target House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy in his CPAC speech. According to the sources cited by the media outlet, Trump has recently grown frustrated with McCarthy, specifically over his support for House Republican Liz Cheney, who voted to impeach the ex-POTUS. While the House GOP leader praised Trump's achievements in his CPAC speech, he backed Cheney during an attempt by members of their party to strip her of her leading positions among House Republicans.
Down With 'Third Party' Idea?
Another matter that Trump might clarify during his CPAC address is that he won't try to create a new party to unite his supporters from the GOP under a new political entity, Fox News reported, citing an anonymous source. According to the media outlet, the former president will stay in the Republican Party and will lay out his vision for how it will reclaim lost Congress seats in 2022.
"We are not starting new parties, and we will not be dividing our power and our strength. Instead, we will be united and strong like never before", the source reportedly cited part of Trump's speech as saying.
Criticising Democrats, Biden, and Big Tech
A lot of CPAC 2021 speakers took swipes at the policies of the Biden administration, as well as at the actions of the Democratic Party and the "radical left" during the former president's term. Trump will reportedly join their ranks, slamming Joe Biden's initial decisions in the White House, such as the closure of the Keystone XL pipeline megaproject, as well as rescinding travel bans and ex-POTUS' immigration policies, Fox News' source claims.
Trump will also reportedly target Big Tech, which he has repeatedly accused of trying to silence him and his supporters, trying to manipulate elections, and siding with the "radical left Democrats" in that endeavour.
Regardless of how many of the predictions made by the media about Trump's address come true, Donald Trump Jr's remark that it will be anything but "a low energy speech" is probably a pretty safe bet.