Donald Trump's Closing Remarks At CPAC Are Raising Eyebrows

This year's Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando was more than just a conference for many attendees — it was a chance to hear their political idol Donald Trump speak once again now that his unprecedented second impeachment trial has ended. But what Trump said at CPAC has a lot of people raising their eyebrows, as he unexpectedly embraced science, urging his fan base to get the COVID-19 vaccination. So why did Trump confuse his devotees? The answer lies earlier in his speech. After repeating his widely debunked claim that he won the 2020 presidential vote — a claim so divorced from facts that it is now known as "The Big Lie" — Trump told supporters he might run again in 2024. And if he does run, he's going to need living voters to support his run, something he may not have if his disciples don't get vaccinated. The comments came about 30 minutes into a long and winding 90 minute speech where Trump hit all the expected beats. He shot down predictions that he would start a new party, instead saying that he wanted to stick with the Republicans so he could beat the Democrats for, quote, "a third time." It should be noted that, according to the facts, Trump lost the popular votes each of the last two elections, and lost the Electoral College vote in 2020. Trump also didn't disappoint his adherents when it came to criticizing President Joe Biden, as well as his enemies on the right side of the aisle, such as Utah Senator Mitt Romney and Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney. And he continued to stoke fears about what he called, quote, "a massive flood of illegal immigration," a tactic that he been popular with his right wing base since he first hit on it in 2015. But while CPAC audiences finally got their chance to hear about Trump's plans for the 2024 election cycle, they may have also heard something they didn't expect, because Trump also urged everyone in the crowd to get the COVID-19 vaccine shot. As proof, he pointed out that Biden got himself vaccinated, which he said, quote, "shows you how unpainful that vaccine shot is." Supporters were likely confused by this sudden about face, as Trump has been publicly making anti-vaccine statements for years, with tweets as far back as 2012 promoting anti-vaccine conspiracy theories. But there's a potentially self-serving reason for his seeming change of heart. According to polls, there's a huge disparity in the number of Democrats and Republicans over the COVID-19 vaccine; one poll shows 72 percent of Democrats saying that they were either planning or already had the vaccine, while another poll by the Monmouth University Polling Institute indicates that four in ten Republicans say that "they will avoid ever getting the vaccine if they can." This finding bears out in other studies made, too. In the state of Colorado, only a head-turning 29 percent of Republicans told polling group Magellan Strategies that they want the vaccine, compared to 89 percent of Democrats. Those who are against the vaccine say they don't trust the science behind vaccine development, reports the outlet, they think the shot is unsafe, and one said that if the recovery rate for COVID is at 98 percent, a vaccine isn't necessary. The Monmouth University Polling Institute's Director Patrick Murray said, "Reluctance to get the vaccine is driven more by partisanship than any single demographic factor. It says a lot about the depth of our partisan divide that it could impact public health like this." The Monmouth poll also shows one important factor: just a third of Republicans feel incumbent President Biden has what it takes to get the virus under control. If this trend over the COVID-19 vaccine continues, it could result in plenty of very sick Republicans — which could in turn be a bad thing for Trump's re-election hopes. President Biden has promised there will be enough vaccines for 300 million Americans by the end of July — no matter what party they belong to. Whether or not people actually choose to get the vaccine, though, remains to be seen. #Trump #DonaldTrump #CPAC