Donald Trump visited Washington for the first time since leaving the White House

Donald Trump returned to Washington for the first time since leaving the White House in January 2021. The former head of state gave a fiery speech in the capital, peppered with hints that he might run for president again in 2024.

Trump didn’t explicitly talk about his candidacy, but laid out what he thinks should be priorities for the “next Republican president.”

“I always say: if you ran the first time and won, you can do even better the second time. – Trump stated. – We may just have to do it again. We need to get our country in order. I look forward to the details in the coming weeks and months.”

Hours before Trump took the stage at the conservative America First Policy Institute, his former running mate, former Vice President Mike Pence, who is also considering a run for president in 2024, also spoke in Washington, addressing a conservative audience.

Speaking at the Young America’s Foundation conference, Pence said Americans should look to the future, not the past, and did not go into his differences with Trump.

“The election is the future,” Pence said. – I’m not looking back today, I’m looking forward. I don’t know if the president and I have disagreements on any issues. But we may have different priorities.”

Trump’s 90-minute address reflected many of the themes of his victorious 2016 campaign, including illegal immigration and crime.

Trump repeated his false claims that he won the 2020 election and condemned the House Select Committee’s investigation into the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol by his supporters. He characterized the committee members as “political mercenaries and thugs.”

“If I gave up my beliefs, if I agreed to remain silent, if I stayed home and just calmed down, the persecution of Donald Trump would stop immediately,” he said. – But I won’t do that. I can’t do that. They really want to hurt me so I can’t work for you anymore.”

“And I don’t think that’s going to happen,” Trump added, whose remark was picked up in the audience by cheers of “For four more years!”

Trump repeatedly criticized Joe Biden in his speech, accusing him of putting the country in trouble because of Democratic policies.

“Our country is in decline. The highest inflation in 49 years,” Trump recalled. – Gasoline prices have reached the highest levels in our country’s history.”

He accused Biden of allowing the “invasion” of millions of migrants crossing the southern border.

“Other countries are now happily sending all their criminals across our open border to the United States,” he said.

“The next Republican president must immediately implement every aspect of Trump’s agenda that has secured the safest border in history,” he said.

Trump said the United States “is now a cesspool of crime.”

“We have blood, death and suffering on a scale once unimaginable,” he said. – Cities run by Democrats are breaking records for murder.”

He accused Biden of “giving up on Afghanistan” and allowing Russia to invade Ukraine.

“This would never have happened if I were your commander-in-chief,” he said.

With Biden’s approval rating currently below 40 percent and Democrats projected to lose control of Congress in November’s midterm elections, Trump is likely optimistic that he can take advantage of Republican gains in the 2024 election.

In a House committee hearing, evidence was presented that Trump attempted to destroy democracy in the United States in early 2021, first by seeking to behind-the-scenes rigging of election procedures and then by encouraging a mob to attack lawmakers who were willing to confirm Joe Biden’s presidential victory.

Although critics of the incumbent believe that the 79-year-old Biden is too old to think about running in 2024, the head of state says the specter of a possible Trump victory is one of the main reasons that could encourage him to run again.