Introduced by American Conservative Union chairman Matt Schlapp, Vice President Mike Pence received a standing ovation at the Conservative Political Action Conference 2020 (CPAC) as the headline speaker Thursday afternoon.
Pence didn’t disappoint the packed crowd of conservative activists. He launched right into the administration’s accomplishments – and gave the crowd a list of eight reasons to re-elect Trump in the upcoming presidential election.
“It is great to be back at CPAC – the largest gathering of conservatives, anywhere and anytime in America,” Pence said.
“Matt [Schlapp] mentioned I came to my first CPAC back in 2004. I want to be clear with you: I’m here for one reason and one reason only: Our movement and our party — and America — needs 4 more years of President Donald Trump in the White House,” the vice president said to chants of “four more years.”
“Four years ago, a movement was born – a movement of everyday Americans, from big cities to small towns,” Pence said. “All of you here CPAC believed America could be great again – could be strong again. You believed in President Donald Trump in 2016.”
“You here at CPAC said yes to President Donald Trump in 2016, and I know you’re going to say yes to four more years for President Donald Trump in 2020.”
Pence compared the Trump presidency to the accomplishments of Reagan’s administration.
“Almost 50 years ago, after decades of the growth of government – from the New Deal to the great society – an outsider came to this podium and said America could be the shining city on the hill again,” Pence said.
“Ronald Reagan said it was morning in America – and President Donald Trump made America great again,” he continued.
Pence cited a long list of accomplishments from the White House, including a booming economy, a stronger military, secure borders, renegotiated trade deals, and the defunding of Planned Parenthood.
“The truth is that, thanks to President Trump’s leadership and your support all across this country, in three short years we’ve made America great again,” Pence said. “But to keep America great, we need you to decide right here and right now that America is going to vote for four more years of President Donald Trump in the White House.”
He outlined 8 reasons Trump should be re-elected.
“Four more years means more jobs. Four more years means more judges. Four more years means more support for our troops. And it’ll take at least four more years to drain that swamp,” he said.
“In four more years, we’ll give Space Force the launch it deserves. In four more years, we’ll lower the cost of healthcare and prescription drugs without growing the size of the government. With four more years, the builder in the White House will make sure America has the finest infrastructure in the world.”
“And with four more years, we’ll make sure parents can choose where their children go to school,” the vice president said.
“The choice has never been clearer, but the stakes have never been higher,” Pence said. “Elections are about choices. We have our president in the White House, and we have this group of Democrats…”
“Did anyone watch that debate on Tuesday? That wasn’t a Democratic debate – that was a demolition derby,” Pence said.
He promised that the Trump re-election campaign would run over whoever emerged like “a monster truck with a giant ‘T’ on the hood.”
“President Donald Trump won the Democratic debates in a knockout. No contest. Lights out,” he said.
Pence said the radical far-left had taken over the Democratic Party, and every single Democratic presidential candidate has embraced the socialist vision of Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-V.T.
“Men and women of CPAC, we have work to do. The truth is, it’s not enough to win the next election,” he said. “We have to win the next generation.”
“We’ve got to tell the truth about socialism and the benefits of freedom. The reality of socialism is, truth is, citizens in the freest countries in the world earn seven times more than citizens of the least free. Socialism has failed among every era, in every continent, among every people.”
“Freedom works,” Pence said. “Socialism doesn’t.”
“You here at CPAC know better than most that it was freedom, not socialism, that gave us the strongest and most prosperous nation in the history of the world,” he said. “It was freedom, not socialism, that ended slavery, won two world wars, and made America a beacon of hope for all mankind.”
“So, as the Democratic Party seeks to nominate and embrace the failed policies of socialism, we must renew our resolve,” Pence concluded.
“As the president said one year ago: America will never, ever be a socialist country.”
It was Pence’s 14th appearance at CPAC, a record for an elected official. Former President Ronald Reagan held the previous record at 13 appearances.
The Horn editorial team