Donald Trump, one of the headliners for this weekend’s CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Conference, is so popular, at least a few dozen people showed up to listen to him speak. Perhaps he should have bussed them in, or promised attendees if they filled the house he’d given them shirts and ties from his Macy’s collection made in China? Or perhaps, he should have promised he’d get them all on NBC’s “Celebrity Apprentice”? Or perhaps, he should have realized that he’s not a politician or thought-shaper, that he’s a washed up nut that no one actually likes, not even the birthers, homophobes, haters, and racists that make up the core of CPAC.
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New York Magazine notes:
Behold, the scene at Donald Trump’s CPAC speech this morning in the main ballroom. Empty seats were everywhere, although it’s not entirely Trump’s fault. He was given an 8:45 a.m. speaking slot, the very first of the day. Many CPAC attendees aren’t even out of bed yet. Still, Trump was invited not because of his conservative bona fides (he’s donated more money over the years to Democrats than to Republicans), but because he’s supposedly a crowd-pleasing draw.
“Mr. Trump’s previous CPAC appearance was hugely popular among our attendees and we expect it will be even more popular this year,” Al Cardenas, the head of the American Conservative Union, said earlier this month when he announced Trump’s invitation.
The speech itself was mildly received. There were a few moments of scattered clapping, some chuckling. The biggest applause came when Trump suggested, once again, that we “take” Iraq’s oil and use the proceeds to pay a million dollars each to the families of the American soldiers who died in the war. Trump meandered from topic to topic, but the one unifying theme of the speech was the greatness of Trump. “I’ve made over $8 billion,” he declared at one point, for some reason.
Image by Angelo Carusone, whom Trump tried to (is still trying to?) sue for $25 million, because Carusone is using capitalism to try to convince Macy’s to dump Trump.