Trump recaptured control of the GOP as its gray cardinal

Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Orlando, Florida, U.S., February 28, 2021. /Gretty

**Editor's note: **Andrew Korybko is a Moscow-based American political analyst. The article reflects the author's views and not necessarily those of CGTN.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump made his first public appearance since leaving the White House on the final day of the Republican Party's (GOP) Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Florida. His speech marked his return to political life after he successfully recaptured control of the GOP as its gray cardinal, or the most important figure in an organization without an official position. Although he defied expectations by not announcing his campaign for president in 2024 like many thought that he would, he clearly hinted at the possibility that he might throw his hat back into the ring when the time comes.

Until then, however, he's more than content controlling the GOP by arguably being its most powerful force. This position gives him and his movement more influence than if he opted to officially announce his candidacy for president. He only briefly mentioned it at the tail end of his speech, but Trump asked his supporters to donate to his political action committee and website in order to help him get like-minded Republicans elected during the next year's midterm elections and in 2024. If they do so en masse, then he'll practically control the party's finances. This clever tactic could therefore enable him to run the GOP almost single-handedly if successful.

Flags and signs displayed for sale outside the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Orlando, Florida, U.S., Feb. 28, 2021. /Getty

Trump's six-week respite from political life since losing the election left an enormous ideological void in the GOP, one which he quickly filled by contrasting his vision of the future with the one that newly inaugurated U.S. President Joe Biden is actively implementing. According to the former leader, the GOP will defend the socio-economic and cultural values of working families of every color, race, and creed. He also articulated in great detail what he believes the concept of so-called "Trumpism" represents, which in summary is the exact opposite of everything that he portrayed the allegedly pro-communist Democrats as representing.

Briefly, he promised to support great trade deals, strengthen border security, defend the Second Amendment, guarantee free speech in the face of Big Tech censorship, encourage merit-based immigration, protect America's traditional values, and see to it that law and order reign in the country's streets. Most importantly, however, he spoke about ensuring free and fair elections after reminding everyone of his contentious claims that the last election was stolen from him. In connection with this, he accused the Supreme Court of lacking the courage to act in the face of what he insists was evidence of illegal changes of election law at the local level.

However, one feels about Trump both personally and politically, there's no disputing that he was in his element while speaking at CPAC. The 45th president is at his best when he's acting as an anti-elitist underdog speaking on the self-appointed behalf of working class families. After all, he won the 2016 election as a result of what many at the time described as his political insurgency, and he seems poised to take a page out of that playbook in order to help the GOP regain control of the country. This also explains why he spent so much time talking about border security early on his speech since it's the issue that helped get him elected in the first place.

By becoming the GOP's gray cardinal, Trump is ensuring that all party members must proverbially "kiss his ring" if they want to have any hope for their political future. He's also making it all but impossible for the Democrats to ignore him like they've tried to do since President Biden's inauguration. Trump will likely remain an outspoken opponent of their policies, taking the Democrats to task for everything that they do and guiding the GOP's responses. In a way, this isn't a bad thing either since it'll hold the ruling party accountable or pressure them to implement policies that genuinely help Americans and therefore improve their odds of reelection.

Looking forward, Trump promised that "the brightest days are ahead" and hinted that he might run for election once again in 2024. For the time being, however, he's intends to masterfully manage the GOP in order to turn it into the perfect instrument of his so-called "Trumpist" ideology. His clever tactic of trying to take control of the party's finances by requesting donations to his political action committee and website will make him a force to be reckoned with by all Republicans. The Democrats might have thought that it would be smooth sailing from on out after winning the White House and Congress, but Trump's proving how mistaken that expectation was.

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