At CPAC, Lara Trump Vows Most Secure Election Operations Ever

Tech Founder Launches Phone That Protects Users Against Big Tech

“Is Big Tech spying on us?” was the question posed to the co-founder of Unplugged Technologies Erik Prince.

“Of course they are,” he responded.

“Big tech collects,” said Mr. Prince. “They know where you go, what you buy, who you call, and what you browse. They actively collect, and they sell that information to advertisers.”

Smartphones and apps help collect and export that information, even going so far as to turn on the microphone, he said.

“I said to some friends of mine, we need to build [our] own phone platform, and after three years, we’ve done it,” he said.

The unplugged phone is the first with a firewall, and it lacks an advertising ID, making it incapable of allowing apps to collect, harvest, and export user data.

The Fourth Amendment says a person should feel secure that his property will be protected from unreasonable government searches, Mr. Prince said.

“The federal government routinely ignores that because they buy all that personal data that you’re giving out when you sign up for an iPhone or a Google phone.”

Unplugged, he said, is working in Partnership with Patriot Mobile to prevent the government from being able to routinely track a user’s location, schedule, and who they interact with.

–T.J. Muscaro

Former British Prime Minister Challenges RINOs

When former British Prime Minister Liz Truss addressed the left’s threat to America and the West, she also called out conservative politicians who continue to choose not to fight for their beliefs.

“I’m afraid, my friends, we are in difficult times,” she told the CPAC audience. “And I very much fear that unless conservatives become more active in speaking out; unless we are prepared to fight this battle, even if it’s difficult–even if it’s uncomfortable–that Western civilization is doomed.”

Across the pond, she said they are called CINOs–Conservatives In Name Only. In America, those conservatives are called RINOs–Republicans In Name Only.

“It’s the same tendency,” she said. “People who think, ‘I want to be popular. I don’t want to upset people. I don’t want to look like a mean person. I want to attend nice dinner parties in London or Washington DC. I want my friends to like me. I don’t want to cause trouble.’”

They try to compromise and triangulate, she said, but what they are really doing is losing the arguments. She referred to her own experiences where a lack of conservative support caused her policies and changes to fail.

“You can’t triangulate with terrorists,” she said in a message directed to the RINOs. “You can’t compromise with Communists. You have to fight for what you believe in.

“You have to fight for the conservative values.”

–T.J. Muscaro

Bishop Doubts Biden’s Catholic Faith

President Joe Biden may claim he practices the Roman Catholic faith, but in the eyes of Bishop Emeritus Joseph Strickland of Tyler, Texas, the president is “not a faithful Catholic.”

“He’s contradicted Catholic values, pretty much across the board—especially on the sanctity-of-life issue—and he promotes abortion as if it were a commodity that everyone needs a right to. It’s a travesty,” Mr. Strickland told The Epoch Times at CPAC 2024 in Washington.

“I really regret that the church hasn’t been much stronger as a voice saying, Mr. Biden, you need to either denounce your Catholic faith officially—as he’s living in denouncement of it—or you need to truly reexamine what you’re doing and live according to Catholic tenets.”

Mr. Strickland noted that the president has not only defied the Catholic Church’s position on abortion but has also done so on same-sex marriage.

In 2016, Vice President Biden officiated the same-sex wedding of two White House staffers.

“He himself has witnessed a marriage of two men. That’s contrary to what the Catholic Church teaches, and to what Scripture supports. Marriage is only for one man, one woman, for life, open to children—period.

“And so, on those two counts, Joseph Biden is living and proclaiming a message contrary, antithetical to the Catholic faith. And, frankly, on many other issues. But those are enough to say, ‘Mr. Biden, you’re not a faithful Catholic.’”

—Joseph Lord and Samantha Flom

Arizona Election Official Shares Security Reforms

Among the controversies of recent election cycles are stories involving Arizona. But ​​Kent Volkmer, Pinal County Attorney, shed some light on the security reforms that have been made in his home state ahead of the 2024 election.

“First and foremost, the single most important thing is that you have an honorable, respectable law-fearing person as your elections director,” he said. “I can tell you, unfortunately, that we did see a little hiccup. We and my county hired somebody at the last election cycle who didn’t have experience. And it was a complete and utter disaster.”

Several polls in Arizona didn’t have enough ballots, he said, and they did not have somebody who knew what they were doing.

“That was on us.”

Now, he said, they have a very proud, forward-facing Republican recorder. They also have cameras on every ballot drop-off box that record people who are physically dropping off the ballots, and law enforcement officers are assigned to watch the video footage.

“We now have GPS tags on every box, so we know where every one of those ballots is at any given time,” he said.

–T.J. Muscaro

Haley ‘Probably Should’ve Stayed’ in South Carolina: CPAC Attendee

CPAC 2024 attendee Lisa Wolf is “not a huge fan” of Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley.

“I think that she is self-serving,” Ms. Wolf, a supporter of former President Donald Trump, told The Epoch Times.

Describing Ms. Haley as a “pretty decent” governor of South Carolina, Ms. Wolf said that the Palmetto State is where the former U.N. ambassador “probably should’ve stayed.”

“I think she’s being led by a lot of people who have their own self-interests and not the welfare of this country,” she said.

Asked whether she would ever support Ms. Haley in the future, her response was to the point.

“Oh no, she’s ripped her drawers, as far as I’m concerned.”

A self-described conservative constitutionalist, Ms. Wolf said she believes the nation is currently on the wrong track. But that’s a problem that she trusts President Trump to solve—and the same goes for the question of who his running mate should be.

“He’s the decision-maker. He makes good decisions, for the most part. So, I would like to see whoever he chooses on that ticket with him because I think whoever he chooses will work well with him to make this country great again,” she said. “I’m a MAGA person down the line.”

—Joseph Lord and Samantha Flom

Lara Trump Promises Most Secure Election Operations Ever

Lara Trump told a cheering CPAC audience that if she becomes Co-chair of the Republican National Committee, “we can and we will build the strongest, most secure election operation that this party has ever seen.”

“We must adapt, and we must fight fire not with fire, but with dynamite,” she said.

And that dynamite adaptation involves embracing early voting.

“The truth is, if we want to compete with the Democrats, we cannot wait until election day,” she said. “If we want to compete and when we must embrace early voting.

“The days of waiting until election day to vote are over. We have to encourage everyone who can legally vote to go do so as soon as they legally can. We need so many votes banked for Donald J. Trump that we’re not playing catch up on election day.”

Every single vote made on every single day leading up to and on election day matters, she said.

She encouraged everyone present to make sure their friends and neighbors got out to vote, “as long as they’re voting the right way,” and she promised that the same all-out effort would be made by the party leaders if she was made one of them.

“If elected as co-chair of the RNC, I can promise you we will not be giving blank checks to career political consultants and vendors,” she said. “Every penny of every dollar donated will go towards one thing—winning.

“I promise you that I will do everything in my power to fight for our country, our party, our values, our children, secure elections, and everything else that we all care about in this country.”

–T.J. Muscaro

Trump Supporters Share Hopes for 2nd Term

There was broad support for former President Donald Trump at CPAC 2024 in Washington as attendees shared their hopes and expectations for what a second Trump presidency might look like.

One common wish list item? A secure border.

“We don’t have a border,” Tom Millitzer told The Epoch Times. “A country without a border is not a country. We can’t have 8 million people—really 13 [million]—coming across our borders and stressing our nation.”

The border was also a concern for Barry Hinkley, who made it a key focus of the “Re-declaration of Independence” he drafted to clarify the nation’s foundational values.

“We’re a nation of immigrants. We all know that we all came for opportunity, whether it was us or our ancestors. However, we have to have it orderly and have a productive people in it. Right now, it’s very disorderly, and I’m questioning the intent of a lot of the people coming here.”

Meanwhile, Barbara Burg traveled all the way from Alaska for the event. She said she hoped President Trump had “learned some lessons” from his first stint in the Oval Office because “he got snookered in some ways” before.

“I think there were moles in his administration. I think there were people that didn’t serve him and that were really traitors to our nation,” she said.

“I mean, I can’t really blame him,” she added. “But I think he’s had four years to reflect. And he’s a reflector. He’s a smart, smart guy.”

Like Ms. Burg, Mr. Hinkley said he believed President Trump was “hoodwinked” by certain government bureaucrats during his first term but didn’t hold those decisions against the former president.

“There’s 4,000 appointees that come with winning the presidency,” he noted. “And that’s a lot of people in the huge bureaucracy here in Washington, D.C. So, how do you get all of that right the first time?

“I think there was so much resistance—baked-in, Deep-State resistance—against him from Day 1 … that it was very difficult. They had a target on him from Day 1.”

As for their opinions of South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who remains in the race for the GOP nomination, the general sentiment was that she was not the right person to solve the nation’s problems.

“America is so broken right now that we need someone that’s ready to go in and actually tear this thing out by the roots—and that’s Washington D.C.,” Mr. Hinkley said. “We live in a country right now that is divided clearly between Washington D.C. and the rest of us, and I’m not sure Nikki Haley has the chops to take on Washington D.C.”

Mr. Millitzer agreed, holding that Ms. Haley is “not the presidential quality person we need right now.” While he described her as a “smart lady,” he added that he was concerned that she was “more of a warmonger” than he would prefer.

And Ms. Burg, despite considering Ms. Haley at first, said she did not approve of some of the former U.N. ambassador’s criticism of President Trump.

“I think she’s saying a lot of things that are hurtful and perhaps untrue about Trump,” she said. “I mean, yes, he’s older. Yes, he’s almost Joe Biden’s age, but his intellect is still strong. His mind is strong.”

—Jackson Richman and Samantha Flom

Freedom Caucus Members Share Hopes for Trump’s VP

Rep. Scott Perry (PA-10) and Rep. Russ Fulcher (ID-1) of the House Freedom Caucus shared their hopes for who former President Donald Trump would pick for his Vice President.

“I want the most conservative person that will save the Republic right behind Donald Trump,” said Mr. Perry, former chair of the House Freedom Caucus, adding, “It’s not some people that are currently in the race against Donald Trump.”

He admitted he liked Vivek Ramaswamy because “he understands that the government is out of control.”

Their panel moderator, Ed Henry from Newsmax, said he heard Gov. Ron DeSantis’s name being thrown around backstage.

“I’d like to see them kiss and make up,” said Mr. Fulcher. “I think that’d be a great pair.”

—T.J. Muscaro

Former ICE Chief Says ‘Historic Deportation’ Necessary

Tom Homan, former Director of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, took the stage at CPAC and told the audience, “There has to be a historic deportation operation at the end of historical immigration. It has to be that way. There’s no other option.”

He explained that not only would billions of dollars be spent processing everybody who comes in and claims asylum, but immigration court data showed that nine out of 10 asylum claims don’t qualify and get ordered to be removed from the country.

He also spoke of the lack of justice when it comes to crime-committing illegal immigrants and the need to enforce the law.

“I’ll do it because that’s what’s required by law to do so,” he said. “It’s the right thing to do. If you can’t, if you don’t do it, then you’re never gonna solve the border crisis.”

Mr. Homan was joined on stage by Rep. Mark Green (R-Tenn.), Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, who told CPAC attendants that “Every American should be scared to death,” of the immigration situation.

Among the more than 7 million illegal aliens who have crossed the border have been hundreds of known terrorists and more than 24,000 military-aged Chinese men feeding money to cartels.

“You don’t leave China with the social credit score system unless the CCP knows about it,” he said. “They’re flying to South America, and they’re in Central America, and they’re they’re coming up here they’re paying 60 grand to the cartels, which is enriching the cartels, a terrible organization.”

Mr. Green clarified that he was not suggesting China was going to attack the United States. But, he said if the U.S. defended Taiwan, he imagined there were people now in the country who were looking at targeting strategically sensitive areas like American rail and ports.

“We’ve had massive waves of Chinese terrorists storming military installations with cameras,” he said.

–T.J. Muscaro

Rep. Donalds Suggests He’d Accept VP Offer from Trump

Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) appeared receptive Thursday to the idea of being former President Donald Trump’s vice-presidential pick.

While speaking with reporters at CPAC in Washington, the congressman was asked by The Epoch Times if he would accept an offer from President Trump if it comes.

“Will I?” he asked our reporter, Jackson Richman, who hazarded a guess: “Yes.”

“There you go,” Mr. Donalds replied.

Other names President Trump has confirmed are on his shortlist include South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard, and even Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, despite the recent tensions between the two.

“Ron DeSantis has been an incredible governor. He really has. We all know this is the best governor in the country—it ain’t close, OK?

“If Donald Trump makes that decision to have Ron DeSantis come on the ticket, that’d be great for us as conservatives and as Republicans because Ron DeSantis has proven what conservative policy means for a state and for a government,” he continued.

“Let’s take that nationwide—what’s wrong with that? I don’t see it being an issue at all. But that’s gonna be a decision for President Trump.”

But a day after President Trump revealed that he was considering Mr. DeSantis, the governor said he had no interest in being vice president.

“I know some people are really actively seeking it. It seems to me, just from watching kind of the body language and stuff, that you have a handful of folks who seem to be auditioning for it,” he said.

“I think my criteria [for a running mate] was different than what probably Donald Trump’s criteria will be,” he added, specifying “identity politics” as a likely factor in the former president’s calculations.

“I think that’s a mistake. I think you should just focus on who you think the best person for the job would be.”

—Jackson Richman and Samantha Flom

NC Lt. Gov.: Media Doesn’t Want to Admit Red States Are Doing Better Than Blue States

North Carolina Lt. Gov Mark Robinson took the stage to share North Carolina’s success story in transforming from a Blue State with millions of dollars in debt into a Red State with a multi-million-dollar surplus.

“It’s because conservatives do this little pesky thing that leftists don’t like,” he said. “We put principles inside of our policies, and they yield a desired result.”

But North Carolina’s success is not unique, and he criticized the media for not wanting to talk about the overall betterment of Republican-controlled states compared to Democrat-run states

He said they “don’t want to talk about the fact that California is falling apart and Florida is flourishing.

“They don’t want to talk about the fact that New York is in a shambles and North Carolina is on firm financial footing.

“They don’t want to talk about the great things are going on in in Arkansas and other places where great conservatives are at the helm doing great things.”

The news media is silent because they don’t want to admit the left is wrong on every issue, he said. They don’t have a political or social leg to stand on, they’re running every state they run straight into the ground.

—T.J. Muscaro

Sen. Tuberville: ‘Trump’s the Only Thing That’s Gonna Save Us’

Electing former President Donald Trump to another four years in the White House is the only thing that will save the United States from destruction, according to Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.).

“We’ve got to get Donald Trump elected president of the United States. You have got to do all you can to get everybody to go vote,” he told the audience of CPAC in Washington on Thursday.

“If we don’t get him back in that White House, it’s going to be tough for any of us to survive in the greatest country ever of 248 years,” he added.

The former football coach made the comments while lamenting the recent turn in athletics programs toward allowing men to participate in women’s sports.

This year, he noted, the Olympic Committee is allowing individual sports to decide for themselves if they will allow that kind of crossover in the upcoming Summer Olympics.

“The boxing committee decided this year that men can box against women in the Olympics,” he announced to gasps of shock from the crowd. “Yes. Somebody’s going to get hurt.”

“Somebody’s going to get killed!” podcaster Ben Ferguson interjected.

And it’s changes like those, Mr. Tuberville said, that show just how badly the country needs the leadership of President Trump.

“We got to understand that no matter what happens in the next 10 months, he has got to be reelected because he’s the only thing that’s going to save us from losing this great country that we live in.”

—Samantha Flom

Byron Donalds: American Dominance ‘Best Thing’ for Freedom and Peace

Florida Congressman Byron Donalds gave the opening speech of CPAC and spoke for an America-dominant foreign policy.

“America in a dominant position across the globe, means the best thing for the people of the world who desire freedom and peace, who want to actually grow an economy who want their children to be raised up,” he said.

“A globe where China is dominant is a globe that it is to the detriment of human freedom.”

He called out Republicans and Democrats to stop having “petty squabbles” and to focus on America leading within its own hemisphere again.

“No more shall we allow communism and fascism to breed in our own hemisphere while we just argue over the stupidest things,” he said.

He also proclaimed, “Israel should obliterate Hamas from the face of the earth,” and said Capitol Hill should help ensure Israel has what it needs.

But he also said that America can’t do it on its own, and called upon other NATO nations to “step up and do their part.”

“The success of Western democracy–the success of a Western way of life–is predicated on all the nations who love freedom and pursue pursue freedom for their people to do the heavy lifting together, not just relying on America to bear the burden alone,” he said.

This is not a matter of isolationism versus being the world’s police, he said. It’s about being sober and a realist.

—T.J. Muscaro

Highlights From Today’s Schedule

A host of prominent conservative voices will kick off the first full day of the 2024 CPAC in Washington.

Original News Source Link – Epoch Times

Running For Office? Conservative Campaign Consulting – Election Day Strategies!