Trump returns to CPAC, criticizes Biden and comments on Ukraine deal

• President Donald Trump wrapped up the final day of the Conservative Political Action Conference on Saturday. The event marked his first appearance since reclaiming the White House.  
• Trump criticized former President Joe Biden, labeling him the “worst president in the history of our country” and blaming him for various failures.
• The president also commented on Ukraine, suggesting that a deal should be close, which would reportedly give the United States a stake in the war-torn country’s natural resources.

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President Donald Trump wrapped up the final day of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Saturday, Feb. 22, marking his first appearance since reclaiming the White House.  

The president did not hold back in criticizing his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, labeling him the “worst president in the history of our country” and blaming him for various failures. Trump also criticized Biden’s immigration policies, contrasting them with his administration’s approach.

The conference featured a lineup of conservative leaders and Trump administration officials, including Vice President JD Vance, Deputy White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, and “border czar” Tom Homan.

Homan and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., sparred throughout the week on X over immigration. On Feb. 12, the congresswoman’s office hosted a webinar sharing tactics used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) authorities to arrest migrants living in the country illegally. Homan responded on Fox News, questioning the Department of Justice whether the webinar impeded ICE’s work.

Speaking immediately before the president on Saturday, Homan told the crowd, “I’m happy with the numbers, but I’m not going to be satisfied until every criminal alien gang member, every criminal alien, every Tren de Aragua is eradicated from this country and sent to Gitmo [Guantanamo Bay], where they belong.”

Trump added to the rhetoric, saying, “We had a president who put illegal aliens up in penthouse suites and beautiful hotels on Park Avenue, on Madison Avenue, 5th Avenue in Manhattan. Now you have a president who is stamping their ticket to Gitmo.”

The president also commented on Ukraine, stating, “We better be close to a deal.” That deal would reportedly give the United States a stake in the war-torn country’s natural resources.

Meanwhile, a straw poll released at Saturday’s conference showed that 61% of the more than 1,000 attendees expressed support for Vance as the frontrunner to succeed Trump. Twelve percent backed Trump’s former adviser and media personality Steve Bannon, while 7% supported Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.