Former US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he has no plans to form a new party to rival the Republican Party, the Voice of America reports.
Speaking at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Florida, Trump called reports that he was plotting a third party "fake news."
In recent months, the former president has been at odds with Republicans who rejected his attempt to challenge the results of the presidential election, and voted for his impeachment.
Addressing his conservative audience, Trump hinted that he is ready to run for president again in 2024, and repeated his discredited, untrue claims that Democrats "stole" the 2020 election, VOA reports.
"Biden had the most disastrous first month of any president in modern history"
The former president harshly criticized the administration of the US president, Democrat Joe Biden, stating that Biden had "the most disastrous first month of any president in modern history", and added that "in a short month we went from America first to - America last ".
Trump has vowed to campaign for "strong, determined Republican leaders" to regain control of the House and Senate in the 2022 congressional elections and then the White House two years later.
"I wonder who it will be," Trump said of his party's 2024 presidential candidate. "Who will it be?"
In a 90-minute speech, he left little doubt that it could be him, citing a poll taken at the party conference that showed he had a 97% approval rating after four years in the White House, though national polls levels show that Biden has a high popularity rating, while Trump's is falling, according to Voice of America.
Trump continued to make baseless accusations that fraud prevented him from winning a second term.
He expressed particular displeasure with the Supreme Court, in which conservatives have a majority, three of whom were appointed by him.
He said the country's highest court "didn't have the guts" to hold a hearing on his claims of election fraud.
Trump and his supporters lost about 60 court cases related to the November election.
His supporters at the conference shouted "You won!" - even though Biden won seven million more votes nationally, and the Electoral College voted for Biden 306 votes to 232 for Trump.
The former president did not directly mention the invasion of hundreds of his supporters in the Congress building on January 6 - chaos in which five people were killed, nor the impeachment process, based on the indictment that he encouraged his supporters to go to Congress and try to prevent the confirmation of Biden's victory, according to Voice America.
However, in the speech he mentioned by name all 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach him and all seven senators who voted to impeach him.
"Get rid of them," Trump demanded.
Trump attacked Biden because of the regulations, the White House did not want to react
Voice of America writes that the former president attacked Biden for dozens of executive orders he passed, new directives that overturned Trump's immigration policy to prevent migrants from crossing the US-Mexico border, and called for the US to rejoin the World Health Organization and the international Paris climate agreement .
Trump supporters booed and booed at the mention of Biden joining the Paris Agreement.
Donald Trump also demanded in his speech that Biden open schools across the country, accusing him of loyalty to the teachers' union, and attacked the proposed $1,9 trillion aid package for those affected by the pandemic, stating that a large chunk "will go to Democratic cities with by bad management."
While millions of Americans are now being vaccinated against the virus, Trump said: "Don't forget that this was our plan."
Biden's White House did not want to respond to the allegations from Trump's speech.
"As the Republican Party chooses its future path, President Biden remains fully focused on defeating the virus, reopening schools and getting Americans back to work," White House spokesman Michael Gwynn said after the speech.
CPAC was founded in 1973 and helped launch Trump's political career in 2011. The conference appearance is Trump's first public appearance since leaving the White House on January 20.
CPAC is one of the most important annual gatherings of conservatives and is held at a moment when it is decided where the Republican Party will go - whether it will distance itself from the former president or stick with him.
Trump's rating is still good - according to a Gallup survey, 94 percent of Republicans support him.
However, the divisions within the break became more visible when the Senate decided on the impeachment of Trump, for which seven Republican senators also voted.
They were heavily criticized by Trump, along with 10 Republican members of the House of Representatives who also voted to impeach him.
Lately, criticism has been directed at Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Although McConnell voted to acquit Trump, he said in a speech after the vote that the former president was "practically and morally responsible for inciting riots and besieging Congress."
"McConnell is a gloomy, gloomy politician who is only interested in personal gain"
Trump called McConnell a "dismal, self-serving politician" and said that if Republican senators keep McConnell as their leader, "he's not going to win again."
Despite the row, McConnell said it must not derail Republican efforts to win back the White House, even if Trump runs again.
Asked by Fox News if he would support Trump's re-nomination in 2024, McConnell said, "Absolutely."
Although some are unhappy with Trump, the former president still has the support of many state and local Republican officials.
Trump has hinted that his political career is not over, but he has not yet revealed how he wants to continue it.
"Our historic, patriotic MAGA movement is just beginning. I have a lot to tell you in the coming months, and I look forward to continuing our journey together," he said after the impeachment vote.
Graham: We need Trump; Cassidy: The Republican Party is more than one person
Senator from South Carolina Lindsey Graham, normally an ally of Trump, assessed that Trump is "the most energetic member of the Republican Party"
"I can only say that he has the greatest potential in the Republican Party. We need Trump," Graham told Fox News.
Some Republicans, however, think otherwise.
Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy, who voted to impeach Trump in the Senate, says that "the Republican Party is more than one person, it's about ideas."
Cassidy is in favor of a new path for the party, but because of his stance to distance himself from Trump, he has already suffered the consequences when the party publicly criticized him.
Congresswoman Liz Cheney is one of 10 Republicans who voted in the House of Representatives to convict Trump of inciting insurrection.
She also drew public criticism from the party for it, with Republicans again publicly rebuking her when she said that "Trump should not have a role in the party."
Schlap made sure Trump supporters spoke
This year, Trump's associates will also speak at the CPAC conference: former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem.
Former Vice President Mike Pence is not on the list.
The media reports that he was invited to address the conference, but that he refused.
After four years in the White House, Pence and Trump parted ways in an argument, because Pence confirmed the results of the presidential election, despite Trump's desire not to do so.
Mitch McConnell will not address the conference either.
CPAC chairman Matt Schlapp, normally a close associate of Trump, made sure that those who support the former president spoke at the conference.
He has also organized panels on election integrity, which will discuss Trump's unproven claims that the 2020 election was rigged.
CPAC is being held in Orlando this year, as Florida's local pandemic regulations allow gatherings to be held indoors, with masks and physical distancing.
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