Trump has started 'his final battle' with 'ominous' threats about the future: analyst

Reflecting on Donald Trump's Saturday night CPAC speech where he painted a grim future for America if he is not given a third shot at occupying the Oval Office, Atlantic columnist John Hendrickson suggested Trump's downbeat approach to the 2024 presidential election has all the hallmarks of his 'final battle."

As opposed to Trump's previous appeal to conservative voters to "Make America Great Again," his speech was full of depressing warnings about war and the destruction of America which would seem to indicate his latest campaign will be based on fear-mongering.

As Hendrickson wrote, at CPAC the former president "...workshopped a new sales pitch: 'I stand here today, and I’m the only candidate who can make this promise: I will prevent—and very easily—World War III.' (Wild applause.) 'And you’re gonna have World War III, by the way.' (Confused applause.)"

Pointing out that was "just one in a string of ominous sentences that the 45th president offered," he added the former president didn't seem very invested in his speech before a room that was not full.

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"Even amid cultish devotion, Trump seemed bored, listless, and unanimated as he spoke to a sprawling hotel ballroom that was only three-quarters full," he reported. "For much of the speech, Trump’s voice took on more of a soft and haggard whisper than the booming, throaty scream that characterized his campaign rallies. His language, by contrast, was bellicose. Tonight’s address was among the darkest speeches he has given since his 'American carnage' inaugural address."

Pointing out that this was only Trump's 4th public appearance since he jumped into the 2024 race, he noted that the 2-hour speech was mostly a lot of grumbling about the current state of affairs.

"Rather than lay out his vision for America, he found a mess of topics about which to complain. The White House, Trump said, 'wasn’t the easiest building to live in.' He opined that 'illegal immigrants come in, and we house them in the Waldorf Astoria.' He characterized Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell as a 'China-loving politician' and sounded legitimately disappointed when saying, 'My wonderful travel ban is gone.' He lamented the halcyon days before he knew the terms subpoena and grand jury," Hendrickson reported.

He summed up the whole experience by writing, "It was a strange and lackluster conference—more of a '1 a.m. at the party' vibe than 'the greatest political movement in the history of our country' that Trump invoked tonight."

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