Donald Trump Jr. used his speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Orlando on Friday to rail against President Biden’s first moves in office and criticize establishment Republicans like House GOP Conference Chair Liz Cheney (Wyo.).
Former President Trump’s eldest son mocked Cheney as “Lincoln Project Liz,” referring to the anti-Trump GOP group, after Cheney was one of the House Republicans voted to impeach his father on a charge of inciting the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol.
Trump Jr. also criticized Biden’s decision to end construction on the Keystone XL pipeline, accused him of “caving” to China, and blasted the new administration’s decision to launch airstrikes on Iran-backed militia targets in Syria on Thursday in retaliation for recent rocket attacks in Iraq.
“Who would have thought within 33 days we’d be bombing the Middle East again,” Trump Jr. said. “Speaking of bombing the Middle East, have you seen Liz Cheney’s poll numbers?”
“I’m sure she has a lot of bipartisan support because if it’s one thing she and Joe Biden definitely want to do, it’s bomb the Middle East. Everything else is a disaster. Everything else is just RINO [Republican in name only] policies, the kinds of policies that put the Republican Party in a position where they needed a Donald Trump,” he continued.
Trump Jr. described Cheney as a member of a failed Republican establishment and his father, who lost reelection to Biden in November, as the future of the conservative movement.
“Her family has a long history of friendly fire,” he quipped, alluding to the 2006 incident in which then-Vice President Dick Cheney, the congresswoman’s father, accidentally shot a man during a Texas quail hunt.
Cheney earlier this week reiterated her belief that Trump should not play a role in the GOP going forward, remarks that put her at odds with other members of House leadership.
“That’s up to CPAC,” she said at a news conference on Wednesday. “I’ve been clear about my views about President Trump and the extent to which, following Jan. 6, I don’t think he should be playing a role in the future of party.”
Trump Jr. also used the speech to criticize political correctness and “cancel culture,” accusing the press of giving more favorable treatment to Democrats such as New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has faced intense scrutiny recently over his handling of nursing home deaths amid the coronavirus pandemic, as well as sexual assault allegations.
Former President Trump will speak at CPAC on Sunday in his first public appearance since leaving office. Trump is also expected to use his speech to criticize Biden’s first month in office.
“I am looking forward to Sunday,” Trump Jr. told the crowd. “I imagine it will not be what we call a low energy speech. I assure you that it will solidify Donald Trump and all of our feelings about the MAGA movement as the future of the Republican Party.”
Trump Jr. is expected to play a significant role publicly and behind the scenes in the former president’s political endeavors in the coming months. Trump is said to be considering starting a new political action committee in addition to the leadership PAC that has raked in millions of dollars since his election loss last November.