VP JD Vance speaks on 'fundamental goal' of Trump administration at CPAC address
Speaking at the opening session of the Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC) on Thursday morning, Vice President JD Vance touted the Trump administration's success in its first month of restoring "safety and prosperity" to the American people, which he said is the president's "fundamental goal."
A week after his fiery speech to European political leaders in Munich, Vance spoke before a packed house at National Harbor, Maryland, in a conversation-style address with a CPAC organizer.
He said Trump recognizes that "we have a historical mandate on a few issues," which he said were cracking down on illegal immigration, restoring American energy dominance and cutting the rampant waste of taxpayer dollars through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). He quipped that in his first 30 days in office, President Donald Trump signed "more executive orders than CNN has viewers."
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Addressing the migrant crisis, Vance said: "We have to secure the southern border and thanks to [Trump's] actions, border crossings are down well over 90%, and we're just getting started."
On the heels of the administration designating several migrant criminal groups — including Tren de Aragua and MS-13 — as foreign terrorist organizations, Vance said Trump's message to migrant criminals is "get the hell out of our country because your free ride is over… you're not welcome."
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Regarding American energy and the economy, Vance said Trump "recognizes that we have to really unlock the engine of American growth."
"We've got to get back to having a growing economy that creates good jobs and high wages for the American people and a lot of that goes back to 'drill, baby, drill,'" he said as the crowd broke into applause.
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The vice president also criticized wasteful government spending under the Biden administration.
"Why are we spending money on progressive, modern art projects centered around toilets in Afghanistan? That's actually something that your tax dollars were funding until very recently," said Vance. "And I think all of us are sitting around and asking, 'What the hell are we doing with the American people's money for the last four years?'"
"It is easy, unfortunately, to burn the house down. It takes a little bit of time to build it back up and that's what we have to do," he continued.
"Look, the fundamental goal of our immigration policy, of our border policy, of DOGE saving taxpayer money, the fundamental goal is we want your children and grandchildren to be able to raise a family in security and comfort in the country that we all love," Vance explained. "That is the whole goal of President Trump's agenda."
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Vance received a massive standing ovation after the CPAC organizer mentioned his Munich speech, in which he spoke about the need for Europe to follow Trump's example of restricting illegal immigration and restoring free speech.
"We cannot rebuild Western civilization; we cannot rebuild the United States of America or Europe by letting millions and millions of unvetted illegal migrants come into our country. It has to stop. Thank God it stopped here. But it's got to stop there," he said.
"The Biden administration did more to destroy free speech, not just in the United States, but also in Europe, than any administration in American history," he went on. "I'm not even blaming the Europeans. I'm actually saying you followed the lead of Joe Biden into censorship and mass migration. Follow the lead of Donald J. Trump and that's free speech, borders and sovereignty. That is the future for our shared civilization."Original article source: VP JD Vance speaks on 'fundamental goal' of Trump administration at CPAC address
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