In Speech at CPAC, Trump Will Outline a Thriving U.S. Amid a Second Term

You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. Former President Donald J. Trump has so far largely campaigned on a dark vision of the United States under President Biden. A speech on Saturday will take a different approach. […]

In Speech at CPAC, Trump Will Outline a Thriving U.S. Amid a Second Term

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Former President Donald J. Trump has so far largely campaigned on a dark vision of the United States under President Biden. A speech on Saturday will take a different approach.

People are lined up to buy Trump merchandise, including sweatshirts that say, “Trump: Make America Great Again.”
Attendees at the Conservative Political Action Conference, known as CPAC, in National Harbor, Md., on Thursday.Credit…Haiyun Jiang for The New York Times

Michael Gold

As voters in South Carolina head to the polls in what is only the fifth nominating contest in the Republican presidential race, former President Donald J. Trump will give a speech on Saturday afternoon near Washington, where he is expected to focus largely on his anticipated general-election contest against President Biden.

According to senior campaign officials, Mr. Trump will use his remarks at the Conservative Political Action Conference, known as CPAC, to expand on a vision that he has evoked since 2020: that the United States is destined for a bleak future under President Biden and other Democrats.

But while Mr. Trump has largely cast his vision of the United States in dark terms during his third run for office, his CPAC speech will present a brighter vision for the country brought about by a second Trump term, said the officials, who requested anonymity to discuss campaign strategy freely.

“If we can break out of this Biden nightmare, we have it in our grasp to make America richer, safer, stronger, prouder and more beautiful than ever before,” Mr. Trump is expected to say, according to prepared remarks shared with The New York Times. “To lift millions from poverty. To give young people hope for the future again. To forge peace out of conflict, strength out of hardship and new industries on the ruins of hollowed-out towns.”

Such language is considerably more optimistic than Mr. Trump’s recent rhetoric on the campaign trail, where he has argued that his political opponents are a pernicious “threat from within” determined to destroy foundational American values.

Throughout his 2024 bid, Mr. Trump has portrayed the United States under the Biden administration as a nation in steep decline. Much of his stump speech focuses on denouncing Mr. Biden’s policies and insisting that he will halt them full-stop if he wins re-election.


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