Former President Donald Trump is set to make his first public appearance since leaving office on Saturday, and he’s reportedly going to speak about uniting the Republican Party — and “Trumpism.”
While there have been rumors that Trump might seek to create his own political party, in his speech Sunday at the Conservative Political Action Conference he is expected to advocate pulling the party together, according to an excerpt of the speech obtained by Fox News.
“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,” Trump is expected to say, Fox reported, adding that the address will likely be well over an hour long and “will also lay out a ‘pathway’ for the GOP to take control of the House and Senate, aides have said.”
Trump is also expected to rip President Joe Biden, “focusing on the new administration’s approach to illegal immigration, job losses from the decision to halt work on the Keystone XL pipeline, and the Democratic Party’s use of identity politics,” Fox said.
Meanwhile, the New York Post cited sources saying the former president will define “Trumpism” and press his America First platform.
“He wants to go into a deeper definition of what Trumpism is and what makes up the America First movement,” one source told the paper. “And not only will this represent the framework for which he will endorse candidates heading into the midterms, but this also provides the broader framework to give the Republican Party direction as we move into the midterms and beyond.”
“Trump is also expected to continue to take swipes at the GOP dissidents who voted to impeach him — as he did on Friday, when he endorsed Max Miller, 32, a former White House aide who plans to primary two-term GOP Rep. Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio,” said the Post.
Since Biden took office Jan. 20, the former president has stayed mostly quiet — until Feb. 17.
“I saw that he said there was no vaccine when he came into office, and yet he got a shot before he came into office,” Trump said on Newsmax’s “Greg Kelly Reports.” “It was already in early November when we announced it, but we actually had it substantially before that. We were giving millions of shots and millions of doses.”
Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, the first in the U.S., was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for emergency use authorization (EUA) on Dec. 11. The FDA on Dec. 18 also approved Moderna’s EUA request.
“So he’s either not telling a truth, or he’s mentally gone, one or the other,” Trump said. “Could he be joking? Because, frankly, that was a very dumb statement.”
Trump said Biden is “being killed on that whole thing. Even the haters are saying, you know this vaccine was announced long before. He is getting lit up on that one.”
Meanwhile, the former president didn’t rule out another run for the White House.
“It’s too early to say, but I see a lot of great polls out there. We have tremendous support,” he said. “I won’t say yet, but I have tremendous support, and I’m looking at poll numbers that are through the roof.”
“I’m the only guy who gets impeached and my numbers go up,” he said.