Trump Reveals Why He Decided To Go Into Politics: 'I'll Never Forget It'
President Donald Trump spoke at CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Conference, on Friday morning.
He started his speech with a characteristic long rant about "fake news," undermining the media reporting on the chaotic start to his presidency.
Trump discussed his plans for the country, including -- of course -- building the wall and bringing jobs back.
It was essentially a campaign speech -- down to the attacks on Hillary Clinton, chants of "Lock Her Up" and a Rolling Stones soundtrack to wrap it up -- just with a few verb tense changes.
The reality TV star also took a moment to discuss his history with CPAC.
Trump gave a speech at the conference in 2011. This was Trump's first major political speech, on the heels of his racist birther movement against Barack Obama.
On Friday, Trump said he "loved" giving that speech. According to him, the speech "gave me an idea" to get into politics in a serious way.
Trump told the story,
I walked the stage on CPAC -- I'll never forget it, really. I had very little notes and even less preparation. So when you have practically no notes and no preparation and you leave and everyone was thrilled, I said, 'I think I like this business.'
So there you have it. From Trump's own mouth: He ran for president because he liked he could get praise with no preparation.
Lisa De Pasquale, former CPAC director, confirmed Trump's lack of notes to the Huffington Post before Friday's speech. She said he had a single sheet of paper with some bullet points for his speech. De Pasquale said,
I remember seeing just 'China' written on the paper.
Trump's CPAC speech took a swipe at the First Amendment and "fake news."
During his rant against the media, Trump noted the First Amendment gives people "the right to speak our minds freely," which is mostly true (unless it's hateful or false). Therefore, he said, he had the "right to criticize fake news."
Trump said the media should not use unnamed sources and should tell the truth. He then proceeded to give a speech full of unnamed sources and falsifications.
Trump's attack on the media is now a regular habit of his. He attacks media who report bad things about him, including that officials were reviewing a dossier that said he hired prostitutes in Russia to perform a golden shower.
By going after the media, Trump appears to be attempting to undermine trust in the media. By doing so, he could get away with saying and doing whatever he wants because people won't listen to media reports that he is lying.
However, one poll is showing the American public currently trusts the media more than they trust Trump.
Trump's CPAC speech was also met with Russian flags.
According to reporters on the ground, little Russian flags with the word "TRUMP" on them were handed out.
The flags were soon rounded up by Trump staffers.
Citations: How CPAC Helped Launch Donald Trump's Political Career (Huffington Post), Trump fans were waving tiny Russian flags until CPAC staff confiscated them (Vox)
