The 2021 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) was a convenient event for failed Former President Donald Trump to stay relevant. He used what is a Republican event to host his first post-presidential rally, and the desperation is real. It’s like he doesn’t know that he lost, or his team is too afraid to pop the bubble of self importance Trump carries around with him everywhere he goes. My bet is on the latter of those two with a side of his followers fervent displays of loyalty that border on cult-like, egging him on while ignoring the Nazi symbol hiding in plain sight—which is a whole other topic worth reading about.
A cult is defined as “a great devotion to a person, idea, object, movement, or work.” This devotion is emphasized by the act of venerating Trump. It’s as if these people are honoring him with ritual acts of devotion grounded in admiration despite the obvious lies being told by the failed Former President. And it shows that facts are of no use to Trump’s followers. He is their savior and the face of a movement that is set to “Make America Great Again” while ignoring that Trump has done nothing but lie to them all along.
Trump continued these falsehoods by again putting his own spin on things, complaining of the liberal media, cancel culture, and the left’s efforts to destroy his “very real” chances of winning the latest election during CPAC. This was further perpetuated by Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, who railed against big tech companies; South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, who went for a cultural battle over statues of founding fathers; and disgraced Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who tried to reassure Trump’s following that Republicans are “not just the party of country clubs”—despite, you know, everything about their leader, Donald Trump.
The failed Former President spurred on his followers when he spent about 90 minutes at CPAC 2021 trying to tear down those who opposed him. He named every Republican who voted to impeach him after the failed January 6th terrorist attack he incited. He called them names and suggested to his cult-like following that they be “ousted” in 2022 primaries and to “Get rid of them all.” And he concluded his long-winded rant by predicting that a Republican party would right things in the United States of America.
And Trump made it very clear, at least to those who aren’t part of his cult-like following, that he would be the one to “make a triumphant return to the White House.” He treated his followers as if they didn’t understand or needed a guiding hand to see that he would be one to lead the charge in a 2024 campaign. “I wonder who that will be. Who? Who? Who will that be? I wonder.” We don’t wonder, Donnie. We know. You want to run again. Just be upfront about it and stop leading your followers in circles.
Because they will follow Trump anywhere. In a unscientific poll done at CPAC, 55% of attendees favor Trump running in 2024. That was followed by a poll where 97% said they approved of “the job he did as president,” and 68% said “they wanted him to run for president in 2024,” according to CNN. Those numbers are scary even if they come from an unscientific poll run by CPAC. And it’s further proof that it doesn’t matter how much Trump lies, the divides he breeds between communities, or who he throws under the bus. There is strength in these numbers, and it needs to be rooted out.
How do we do that? Facts. It’s not going to change the minds of Trump’s cult-like following but it will change the minds of those who are on the fence about Trump after his failed Presidency and Capitol insurrection. It’s about that 17% of CPAC attendees who said they were unsure about a 2024 Trump presidency. Those people are the ones the truth stands a chance with and who can be shown that the Republican party isn’t “the only ones who respect them as human beings” like Noem promised during her speech.
The fact of the matter is that Trump lost the most recent election and left President Biden with a shattered government and nation. And the only way to battle Trump’s continued attempts to rewrite history or oust those who opposed him is by fighting back with facts, coherent policy moves, and holding those responsible for ineffectual leadership. That’s how you break the bonds of devotion to an ineffective leader who berates, insults, and undermines those he pledges to represent.
(image: Joe Raedle/Getty)
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