If Donald Trump runs for president in 2024, what can we expect?

Based on his appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference, the former president’s pitch to retake the White House would be similar to his first, writes Chris Stevenson

Former president Donald Trump speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando (AP)

“Meet the new boss / Same as the old boss”

During Donald Trump’s address to the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) – where he has become a fixture in recent years – he played many of his greatest hits. He repeated his false claim that the 2020 election campaign was stolen from him by voter fraud, and that he is the legitimate leader of the US, while defending his assertion that Vladimir Putin is “smart” – not the first time he has expressed admiration for the Russian president’s way of handling politics.

He also called the people of Ukraine “brave”, but suggested that, if he himself was in charge of the US, Putin would respect him enough not to have invaded Ukraine. However, the bulk of the speech was aimed at current president Joe Biden and his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic and restrictions – a “left wing tyranny” according to Trump. He also labelled the incumbents of the White House the “Biden crime family” – without any evidence, as usual – in the same vein as his attacks on his 2016 presidential election rival Hillary Clinton.