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Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., owned every claim that he is changing the face of the Republican Party at CPAC on Friday.
He noted that he is “smeared” and “derided” in Congress because, “I’ve made it a living hell for the swamp rats, and many of them are retiring now.”
“You are welcome!” he added.
He admitted that current Republicans can’t “save the nation” and that new stronger voices are needed. He celebrated the fact that the Paul Ryan and Kevin McCarthy Republicans of the past, “Don’t work here anymore.”
“The next phase of our plan is to replace the droves of retiring members with AMERICA FIRST patriots,” he went on.
Gaetz then called on Republican primary voters to do their part and use their vote carefully. He called out Republican leaders who attack MAGA patriots and laughed at claims that his brand of leadership is chaotic.
He pointed out that the current administration’s open borders, $34 trillion debt, and initiatives that label law-abiding citizens as terrorists are much more chaotic than his plans.
“I actually want orderly things like budgets that balance, single-subject spending bills, term limits, block-grant Medicaid, drill for oil, export liquified natural gas to anyone willing buy it in dollars, demand that, I don’t know if the government wants to spy on Americans they should have to get a warrant, and we should secure the southern border,” he stated.
He noted that over the past 20 years, Democrats have become the party of forever wars, high-interest rates, and reverse racism.
Despite these issues, Gaetz also celebrated finding success in blocking excessive spending bills in Congress and called out the hypocrisy of expecting Americans to pay for foreign wars.
He noted the importance of being anti-war, not anti-American, and decried foreign nations that act as “national security welfare queens” that expect Americans to pay for their security.
Gaetz then declared, “America is not the world’s police force and we are not the world’s piggy bank!”
He explained how these imbalances are weakening us, and how Biden’s weak leadership is “aiding and abetting the invasion of our nation,” by allowing the border crisis to rage on.
In addition, Gaetz addressed Republican infighting, noting that his loyalties remain with the people, not the politicians he works with. He noted that he is willing to decry Republicans who do not put the nation first because it is necessary.
He said, “If the Republicans are gonna dress up like Democrats in drag then I will lead the fight against them too. I’m here to fight for you. It’s the people’s house after all. Last time I checked, the people hate Congress. We have a lower approval rating than the IRS.”
Then he declared, “This is a movement that the uniparty cannot kill.”