The Donald trumped other speakers at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) Thursday, drawing raves from the audience and kudos from pundits for a rousing speech in which he said he’ll decide by June whether to run for president. Trump “rocked the house,” “Morning Joe” host Joe Scarborough declared on his show this morning.
If he runs for president and wins, the multibillionaire real estate mogul promised the 2,500 conservative politicians and activists in the audience, America “will be respected again.”
Trump, who told
Newsmax during an exclusive interview when he visited the company’s headquarters in West Palm Beach, Fla., last month that he was “seriously thinking about” a presidential run, brought a holler of “You’re HIRED” from a female member of the CPAC audience.
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Politico pronounced Trump the “best-received speaker” on CPAC’s opening day in Washington. “The audience lapped up his act,” Politico’s Maggie Haberman wrote.
Trump, who was added to CPAC’s speaker line-up at the last minute, addressed several issues, including noting that he is pro-life and that, if he did become president, he would quash President Barack Obama’s embattled healthcare law.
When one of the Trump enthusiasts in the crowd hollered, “You’re HIRED,” he pointed at her and returned the favor, proclaiming: "You're hired! These are my people. This is beautiful."
On the other hand, he drew a few boos when he said of Texas Republican Rep. Ron Paul’s presidential aspirations: “Ron Paul can't get elected, I'm sorry . . . I like Ron Paul. I think he is a good guy, but honesty, he just has zero chance of getting elected. And I can tell you this, if I run and if I win, this country will be respected again."
However, the applause for Trump drowned any boos about the Paul comment.
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