A test is on the horizon. President Trump will speak at the CPAC conference in Orlando, Florida, on its final day, Feb. 28, according to the New York Post.
His first formal public speaking engagement since leaving office, this speech will also give us a relatively clear indication of his future political viability. If he returns to the claim that he won in a landslide and has been cheated, he’s toast, even if the highly partisan crowd cheers. He will have become a crank and conservatives who wish to win will forget him.
If on the other hand Trump speaks of the future, taking our present situation pretty much as a given, then we can consider he’s moved on. He will have decided to stop beating the election dead horse, and can be a big part of the party’s future.
I’m not certain Trump’s ego will allow him to drop the unproven claims, although I hope it will. Politics is not WWE theater or “reality” TV, where a good story line beats actual performance. I hope he understands this distinction.
