Source: Politics<\/p>\n
Greenville, N.C. \u2014 Never before in U.S. history has a former president returned to the campaign trail to claim that his election loss was fraudulent. <\/p>\n
But in his informal reemergence on the political scene before the GOP faithful at the North Carolina GOP convention in Greenville, Donald Trump did just that, insisting \u2014 falsely \u2014 that the 2020 race was stolen and corrupt.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe evidence is too voluminous to even mention,\u201d Trump said at one point. Tellingly, he never mentioned it, choosing instead to insist that dead people had voted, that Facebook had encouraged get out the vote drives in liberal enclaves, and that \u201cIndians\u201d were paid to vote (ostensibly referring to Native Americans) \u2014 none of it supported by fact. \u201cIt was a third world election like we\u2019ve never seen before,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
Trump applauded audits taking place in various states and scoffed at the notion that all of this was subversive and problematic for society. “I’m not the one trying to undermine democracy,\u201d Trump said as the crowd stood on their feet. \u201cI’m the one trying to save it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The speech was not all about questioning the election\u2019s legitimacy. In fact, that portion came nearly an hour into it. Prior to that, Trump bragged about his administration\u2019s role in developing the coronavirus vaccine and attacked the Biden administration’s foreign policy, energy and immigration policies. <\/p>\n
\u201cIf we had not come up with a vaccine, you would have had 1917 Spanish flu numbers,\u201d Trump said of the virus\u2019 death toll and Operation Warp Speed. <\/p>\n
The former president attacked infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci, who has become a boogeyman for Trump and the right, as \u201cnot a great doctor, but a hell of a promoter.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cFauci said at the beginning, \u2018no masks.\u2019 Remember that? Then he became a radical masker. Get three, four. Get a pair of goggles, ideally. Wear them for another five or six years,\u201d Trump said to laughter from the audience. <\/p>\n
He was met with a standing ovation when he demanded China pay $10 trillion in \u201creparations\u201d for its role in the coronavirus pandemic and again when he called for the banning of critical race theory in schools, the culture wars issue du jour for the GOP. <\/p>\n
He recounted his favorite moments in office, re-litigated his long-standing grievances and was unwilling to let go of the slights he believed marred his time in office \u2014 at one point recounting how the press covered his gingerly walk down a ramp after delivering a speech at West Point. At times, it gave off the vibe of an entertainer in the twilight of his career, playing the hits for a Vegas crowd. And, for good measure, the evening featured a relatively new addition to the Trump rally playlist: \u201cMy Heart Will Go On,\u201d the theme song from \u201cTitanic\u201d and the classic hit of Vegas-staple Celine Dion. <\/p>\n
The crowd loved it. <\/p>\n
Trump, who narrowly won North Carolina in the past two presidential elections, expressed optimism for the Republican Party in 2022 and beyond.<\/p>\n
In a surprise announcement, he gave his \u201ccomplete and total\u201d endorsement to Rep. Ted Budd in the state\u2019s Senate primary. The news \u2014 which Trump shared with Budd just 15 minutes before taking the stage \u2014 was made after Trump\u2019s daughter-in-law Lara Trump, a native of Wilmington, N.C., publicly ruled out a run for the seat.<\/p>\n
“Now you may have heard a rumor that I have been considering possibly running for Senate,\u201d said Trump, who said she is instead focusing on her role as a mother. \u201cI am saying no for now, not no forever.” <\/p>\n
The speech served as a quasi kick off to the will-he-or-won\u2019t-he stage of speculation around whether Trump will give a White House run another go. He has privately told confidantes that he is inclined to do so and recently put out a statement premised on the idea that he wouldn\u2019t just run again, but win. Saturday was Trump\u2019s first public speech since appearing at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in February. Since then, the ex-president has made remarks behind closed doors at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida and has done interviews with friendly, right-leaning shows. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe just can\u2019t quit it and get away from it,\u201d said one former campaign adviser. \u201cHe probably sees this as a legacy defining thing, and I know it\u2019s superficial to say but he doesn\u2019t want to go out as a loser.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trump is planning to cross the country making a series of speeches this summer. So far, he\u2019s expected to appear in Ohio, to support former White House aide turned congressional candidate Max Miller; in Alabama to support Republican Senate candidate Rep. Mo Brooks; in Georgia, where he remains embittered about the outcome of the 2020 election results; and his home state of Florida. He\u2019s also scheduled to speak at CPAC Texas this July in Dallas. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s really about getting back out to carry a positive message for America forward and start to contrast America First agenda versus a Biden short term results,\u201d said a senior adviser to Trump. \u201cFlorida and Ohio are on the list to get out quickly and do rallies but it won\u2019t stop there \u2014 he\u2019s ready to re-engage in the political arena.\u201d <\/p>\n
An appearance via jumbotron at a \u201cfree speech\u201d event next week hosted by My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell, who has openly speculated that Trump will be reinstated to the White House in August, is also likely, a spokesperson said. Trump himself has been absorbed with the Arizona audit that he has mused will result in his reinstatement. But one senior adviser said the former president does not seriously believe he will be returning to the White House through non-electoral means.<\/p>\n
While publicly, allies of Trump have been supportive of him returning to the trail, behind the scenes there has been hand-wringing over how Trump\u2019s obsession with re-litigating the 2020 elections could affect the midterms.<\/p>\n
A person close to Trump noted some top Republican donors who have listened to Trump speak have been disappointed with the former president\u2019s messaging. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey came to hear something different and talk about the future and not the past,\u201d the person said, of one recent event in Mar-a-Lago. \u201cThey didn\u2019t hear anything new from Trump, more grievances and nothing new.\u201d <\/p>\n