He walked on stage to ‘God Bless the USA’ by country singer Lee Greenwood. And then wrapped his arms around and hugged the American flag.
Pres. Donald Trump went “off script” at the 2019 Conservative Political Action Conference held in National Harbor, Maryland. He said that going off script got him elected.
Here’s what you need to know about statements the President made during his more than two hours of off-the-cuff remarks:
Trump Called the Russia Investigation ‘Bullshit’
President Trump at #CPAC: “I saw little shifty Schiff yesterday. It was the first time — he went into meeting and he said, ‘We are going to look into his finances.’ I said where did that come from? He always talked about Russia, collusion with Russia. The collusion delusion.”
“I saw little shifty Schiff yesterday. It was the first time — he went into meeting and he said, ‘We are going to look into his finances.’ I said where did that come from? He always talked about Russia, collusion with Russia. The collusion delusion.”
He called the investigation into the Russian attack on the 2016 presidential election and the Trump camp’s alleged collusion “bullshit.”
“They fight so hard on this witch hunt, this phony deal that they put together. This phony thing that now looks like it is dying. So they don’t have anything with Russia. There is no collusion.”
And Trump mocked former Attorney General Jeff Session’s recusal from the Russia probe using a southern drawl.
WATCH: President Trump uses southern accent to mock Jeff Sessions at #CPAC t.co/4J8kx61AFE
Trump Said Colleges & Universites That Don’t Allow ‘Free Speech’ Will Lose Federal Dollars
The @CPAC audience erupts into a cheer of ‘USA! USA!’ as President Trump says, “I will be signing an executive order requiring colleges and universities to support free speech if they want federal research dollars”
He told the USA-cheering audience that he plans to sign an executive order that requires colleges and universities “to support free speech if they want federal research dollars.”
As to his point about campus speech, Trump brought Hayden Williams out, the right-wing activist who was attacked on the campus of the University of California at Berkeley campus in February, saying he “took a punch for all of us.”
President Donald Trump invites Hayden Williams — who was violently attacked on campus last month at UC Berkeley — on stage to talk at CPAC
Williams, 26, is a member and field rep for the conservative group The Leadership Institute. He was at UC Berkeley but is not a student. He claims he was punched by a man who didn’t like his signs. Police have charged Zachary Greenberg, 28, with assault.
Trump Doubled-Down Immigration & Brought Up Hillary Clinton
Trump during his unhinged CPAC speech: “Mothers who love their daughters give them massive amounts of birth control pills, because they know their daughters are gonna be raped on the way up to our southern border… True story, told to me by the border patrol.”
Trump reiterated his stance on immigration and his campaign-promised border wall.
“Mothers who love their daughters give them massive amounts of birth control pills, because they know their daughters are gonna be raped on the way up to our southern border… True story, told to me by the border patrol.”
And Trump reminded the audience that when he called for Russia to hack Hillary Clinton’s emails, he was being “sarcastic.”
QUITE A RIFF HERE: Trump at @cpac revisits his 2016 call for Russia to hack @HillaryClinton’s emails, accusing @cnn & other media of fake umbrage & intentionally taking him out of context, when he says he was just being “sarcastic” & having fun with the audience.”