Yet even all this wasn’t enough for many CPAC attendees. For while 97% rated Mr. Trump favorably in a straw poll, only 68% wanted him to run for president again, and 55% said they supported his nomination in 2024.
Why the muted enthusiasm from a crowd of Mr. Trump’s most fervent fans? The explanation may be in what the ex-president said and didn’t say in his 15-minute definition of Trumpism. There was no forward-looking agenda, simply a recitation of his greatest hits. People like fresh material. Repetition is useful to a point, but it grows stale.
Mr. Trump also claimed his “endorsement is the most powerful asset in politics,” crowing that “because of my efforts . . . we had huge gains in the House, and I helped keep many senators in their seats.” This is somewhat true of November’s 10 most competitive U.S. Senate races. Successful Republican candidates ran ahead of Mr. Trump’s percentage and won in three contests—Alaska, Maine and Texas. Five who ran behind him still managed to win, in Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Montana and North Carolina.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member