Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and budget committee chairman Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) laid into the Republican Party after Donald Trump‘s speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Sunday.
The former president was met with rapturous applause at the event after he criticized Democratic President Joe Biden‘s first month in the White House, saying it was “the most disastrous” of “any president in modern history.”
“Already the Biden Administration has proven that they are anti-jobs, anti-family, anti-borders, anti-energy, anti-women and anti-science. In just one short month, we have gone from America First to America Last,” Trump said.
Trump claimed that Biden has “triggered a massive flood of illegal immigration into our country, the likes of which we have never seen before.”
He also repeated false claims of victory in the 2020 election, describing the contest he lost as “rigged.”
Schumer was quick to respond on Twitter, picking out the former president’s record fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Trump left us in a place where nearly 500000 had died of COVID. Trump left us after inspiring, directing, propelling a mob to the Capitol to violently prevent transfer of power. But Republicans in Congress still joined a CPAC where Trump repeated his Big Lie today. Unconscionable,” Schumer wrote.
On January 20, when Biden was inaugurated, just over 400,000 had died of COVID-19 in the United States.
Sanders, who ran against Biden in the Democratic presidential primaries last year, accused the GOP of abandoning democracy.
“Sadly, the Republican Party has turned its back on democracy and evolved into an authoritarian party – suppressing the vote, pushing big lies and conspiracy theories,” he tweeted.
“Too many Americans have fought and died to defend our democratic way of life. We cannot and will not fail them.”
Sadly, the Republican Party has turned its back on democracy and evolved into an authoritarian party – suppressing the vote, pushing big lies and conspiracy theories. Too many Americans have fought and died to defend our democratic way of life. We cannot and will not fail them.
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) March 1, 2021
In his CPAC speech, Trump hinted that he may run again for the presidency in 2024.
“Biden has failed in his number one duty as chief executive: Enforcing America’s laws,” he said, prompting loud cheers and a standing ovation from the crowd.
“This alone should be reason enough for Democrats to suffer withering losses in the midterms, and to lose the White House decisively four years from now.”
Trump then hinted at another run for office: “Actually you know they just lost the White House, I may even decide to beat them for a third time.”
The former president said it was “fake news” he would start his own alternative party to the GOP.
Trump spoke as the Republican Party remained divided over Trump’s impeachment trial, his actions around the Capitol riot, and the false claims he won the November 3 election. However, the former president played down disputes within the GOP.
“The only division is between a handful of Washington, D.C. establishment political hacks and everybody else all over the country,” he said, adding the party had “tremendous unity.”
The majority of attendees at CPAC in a poll said they would support Trump during hypothetical primary elections ahead of the 2024 presidential contest.
Of a list of 21 names offered to delegates, Trump earned 55 percent of votes that responded to the question: “Thinking ahead, if the 2024 Republican primary for President in your state were held today among the following candidates, for whom would you vote?”
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican and Trump ally, received the second-highest portion of votes after Trump, with 21 percent. The other 19 names scored below 5 percent.
Newsweek has asked Trump’s office for comment.
Kevin Dietsch/Getty
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