The former president's son accused the GOP of "snatching defeat from the jaws of victory"
Credit: BLOOMBERG
Donald Trump Jnr declared his father was the "future of the Republican Party" as he took aim at his GOP critics in a fiery speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Friday.
Mr Trump previewed his father’s return to the political stage on Sunday, when he will make his first speech since leaving the White House, saying: "I imagine it will not be what we call a low energy speech."
"And I assure you that it will solidify Donald Trump and all of your feelings about the MAGA movement as the future of the Republican Party," he added.
The former US president will deliver the keynote address at CPAC, the largest annual gathering of grassroots conservatives, on Sunday and is expected to deliver his verdict on the future of his party as well as the Biden administration.
Mr Trump Jnr offered a glimpse of what attendees might expect from the address as he labelled Joe Biden’s first month in office a "disaster" and took aim at his father’s critics.
Visitors to the conference in Orlando, Florida, were greeted by a golden statue of Donald Trump:
A Trump supporter sculpted a gold statue of the former president that was on display at the conference
Credit: REUTERS
The sculptor, Tommy Zegan, puts the finishing touches on his work
Credit: AP
The former president’s son kicked off his address by attacking the month-old Biden administration.
"Who would have thought that within 30 days we’d be bombing the Middle East again?" he said, referring to the decision to launch airstrikes in Syria.
"At least they have a diverse cabinet, right?" he added.
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Mr Trump Jnr called on attendees at the conservative jamboree to protest against both Republicans and Democrats who are tied to "the establishment that has done nothing but fail us time and time again".
Mr Trump Jnr singled out Liz Cheney, a senior Republican congresswoman and the daughter of the former Vice President Dick Cheney, who voted to impeach the former president over his role in the siege of the Capitol.
"Liz Cheney and her politics are only slightly less popular than her father is at a quail hunt," he said, referring to a 2006 accident when Mr Cheney accidentally shot his friend in the face during a hunt.
Josh Hawley, the Republican senator who supported Donald Trump's untrue claims of election fraud, also spoke
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Mr Trump Jnr labelled Ms Cheney, the third ranking Republican in the House of Representatives, a "RINO", meaning "Republican in name only" saying her brand of politics produced "the kinds of policies that put the Republican Party in a position where they needed a Donald Trump."
Discussing the Republicans who have blamed his father for the January 6 Capitol attack, Mr Trump Jnr said: "You’ve heard the rhetoric from some of them over the last couple of weeks, and now you’ve seen that change very quickly. Because if there’s one thing the Republican Party has been really good at over the last few decades, it’s snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
It came as the former Republican president made good on a threat to fight to oust Republicans who voted to impeach him by announcing he had endorsed Max Miller, his former aide, in a primary challenge against GOP congressman Anthony Gonzalez.
"Max Miller is a wonderful person who did a great job at the White House and will be a fantastic congressman," Mr Trump Jnr said.
"Current Rep. Anthony Gonzalez should not be representing the people of [Ohio] because he does not represent their interest or their heart."
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