FORT WASHINGTON, Md.—President Donald Trump appeared confident he would win his reelection as he painted a picture of the grim realities of life under socialism and addressed the peace agreement the United States just signed with the Taliban during a speech at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).
Speaking to a crowded gathering on the last day of the conference on Feb. 29, Trump said the United States is bringing an end to the nearly 19 years of bloodshed in Afghanistan—Americas longest war.
“Today the United States signed a deal with the Taliban so we can begin the immediate process of bringing our troops back home,” he said at the conference. “You know who we have to thank? The families and those incredible people that lost their lives to start off with.”
The theme at this years CPAC—the largest gathering of conservatives in the country—is “America vs. Socialism.”
During the four-day conference, Republican politicians and conservative personalities spoke out against the rising influence of socialism, framing it as the biggest threat to the future of the nation. Vice President Mike Pence said at the conference days earlier that “It wont be enough just to win the next election. Weve got to win the next generation.”
Trump said they are “prepared to begin those force withdrawals” adding that the United States can begin “finally rebuilding our nation.” On his foreign policy, Trump stated that American forces cannot be the policemen for the entire world, adding that “sometimes our allies treat us worse than our enemies.”
As part of the deal, the United States would withdraw 4,400 of 13,000 troops in the next 3-4 months, with the remainder pulling out in 14 months. In exchange, the Taliban committed to preventing terrorists from using Afghanistan as a staging ground for attacks.
“The longest war in American history, by far—not even close—will be over,” Trump said at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center. “We had 28, essentially 28 countries participating in this and theyre very happy to be out.”
He also explained in detail the U.S. military raid that killed ISIS leader al-Baghdadi last year. “You cant make a movie like this.”
After addressing the peace deal, Trump, in a speech that lasted 1 hour and 24 minutes, spoke about what he called the American comeback while condemning the ideology of socialism and the “far left.” He also touched upon the 2020 election and accomplishments under his “America First” agenda.
“Far-left radicals have become increasingly desperate and increasingly dangerous in their quest to transform America into a country you would not recognize—a country in which they control every aspect of American life,” he said.
“Just as socialist and communist movements have done all over the world, theyre cracking down on all dissent and demanding absolute conformity. They want total control.”
Trump said the result of implementing such policies would “turn America very quickly into a large-scale Venezuela.”
Socialist policies introduced by dictator Nicolás Maduro and his predecessor, Hugo Chavez, crippled Venezuela in less than two decades. Food and medicine shortages, hyperinflation, and violent crime have driven millions of Venezuelans out of the country, according to the U.N. Refugee Agency.
Previous speakers at CPAC have pointed to the Chinese Communist Party, which they said uses a system of “socialism with Chinese characteristics.” Under the rule of the party, between 50 million to 70 million people died of unnatural causes during peacetime.
The president said on socialism and the far left: “They want to take away your money, take away your choice, take away your speech, take away your guns, take away your religion, take away your history, take away your future, and take away ultimately your freedom.”
“But we will never let them do that,” he said, adding that he would be back next year.
Coronavirus
Trump also talked about the latest measures taken to protect Americans against the coronavirus outbreak, which has dominated the news in the past weeks.
“My administration has taken the most aggressive action in modern history to control our borders and protect Americans from the coronavirus,” he said.
“I ordered sweeping travel restrictions to prevent uncontrolled spread of this disease and took a lot of heat as I did it very early,” he said, adding that he wRead More – Source
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