Donald Trump asserts ‘old Republican Party is gone’ at RNC donor retreat
Ryan King
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Former President Donald Trump took credit for the transformation of the GOP while speaking at a party donor retreat.
Trump proclaimed the “old Republican Party is gone, and it is never coming back” while casting himself as the champion needed to render the party an “unstoppable juggernaut that will dominate American politics for generations to come,” according to his remarks obtained by Politico.
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“Republicans were a party known for starting wars overseas, cutting Social Security and Medicare at home, and pushing mass amnesty for illegal aliens,” Trump further added, per the transcript.
An entourage of top Republicans attended the closed-door Republican National Committee donor retreat in Nashville over the weekend at the Four Seasons Hotel.
In typical Trump fashion, his speech touched on go-to topics for him, such as the 2020 election and his take on where the party should head in the future. He boasted that he “saved” the GOP from “the establishment class” during his rise to power in 2016.
Trump also pledged that he would end the war in Ukraine “shortly after” after returning to the presidency and obliterate the drug cartels “just as we destroyed the ISIS caliphate,” according to the report.
Others in attendance appeared to separate from Trump. Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA) reportedly nudged attendees against harping on the 2020 election and urged the party to become more forward-looking.
“To voters trying to pay their rent … make their car payment … or put their kids through college … 2020 is ancient history,” Kemp said, CNN reported.
Former Vice President Mike Pence, who is mulling a 2024 run, repeated his long-standing contention that the GOP needs to look to the future rather than elevating candidates who are too focused on the past.
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Trump is currently the front-runner in the 2024 GOP primary field. He also addressed the National Rifle Association convention in Indianapolis Friday.
This week, Trump’s top primary foe, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), was vexed after a leading GOP donor, Thomas Peterffy, the founder and chairman of Interactive Brokers, withdrew his support for the governor amid concerns about social issues.