Party of one: Donald Trump’s 75 minutes at CPAC talking about himself

David Smith in Oxon Hill, Maryland

Feb. 23, 2025, 12:48 a.m.

Contemptuous and sure of himself, the US president boasted of his victories and taunted his enemies

God save the king. Drunk on power, Donald Trump spent Saturday afternoon before adoring fans, boasting of his victories, taunting his enemies and casting himself as America’s absolute monarch, supreme leader and divine emperor rolled into one.

Trump’s appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at the National Harbor in Maryland began with country singer Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA and raucous cheers in a crowded ballroom that included January 6 insurrectionists.