Donald Trump Addresses CPAC 2020

“All they have to do is ask. We will have great professionals over there,” he added. 

3:54 PM: Trump slams the corporate media, says “It would be so much easier for us as a country if the press told the truth.”

3:53 PM: Trump on the U.S., Taliban signing an agreement aimed at bringing peace to Afghanistan: “If the Taliban live up to the agreement, it means the longest war in American history by far – it’s not even close – will be over… I’ll say this for the Taliban: they’re great fighters. All you have to do is ask the Soviet Union. But they’re tired.”

3:47 PM: Trump talks about ordering the killing of ISIS chief Abu Al-Baghdadi, saying “There’s no dog like Conan” — the K9 who played a key role in the operation against the longtime terrorist.

3:44 PM: Trump says he asked the U.S. military to change the color used to label ISIS territory on maps from red to another color because red if the color of the Republican Party. 

3:43 PM: Trump recalls a story about a U.S. soldier who lost both legs due to a roadside bomb and touts the deadly strike on Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani, calling him a “son of a bitch.” The crowd cheers loudly. 

3:37 PM: Trump slams Sen. Mitt Romney as a “lowlife” for voting to convict him in the Senate’s impeachment trial. The crowd boos at the mention of Romney. The president says he did not realize how “deep” the Swamp is and reiterates his pledge to get rid of “dirty” Deep Staters. 

3:36 PM: Trump recounts how Schlapp suggested that he run for president following a previous CPAC speech. “I guess I’m slightly more famous now,” the president jokes.

3:35 PM: Trump says the Make America Great Again movement is something like “honestly nobody has ever seen” and jokes some of his Democrat presidential rivals speak to two people on a “street corner.”

3:33 PM: CPAC chairman Matt Schlapp is introducing President Trump. “Socialism is more tragic than a Jimmy Kimmel monologue,” Schlapp jokes in reference to this year’s theme, “America vs. Socialism.”

3:12 PM: Ahead of Trump’s speech, administration officials briefed attendees on the latest coronavirus updates:

At CPAC, and as Trump warm-up, HHS deputy secretary Hargan tells the crowd about first coronavirus death in U.S. but says Trump’s aggressive actions to shut down China travel bought “precious days and weeks to prepare for this.” pic.twitter.com/e090Xjmtmw

— Dan Diamond (@ddiamond) February 29, 2020

3:04 PM: President Trump is departing the White House for CPAC after holding a press briefing on his administration’s ongoing response to the spread of the coronavirus in the United States.