ANAHEIM 鈥� Donald Trump railed against mail-in ballots and repeated falsehoods about a rigged 2020 presidential election in his speech to California Republicans today.
鈥淣o way we lose this state in a real election,鈥� said the former president, who lost California to President Biden in 2020 by .
Trump repeated many of the same talking points from his 2016 and 2020 campaigns, including criticizing California under 鈥溾�榝ar left鈥� Democratic leadership 鈥� Gov. Gavin Newsom (鈥淗e鈥檚 an environmental maniac, but only for political reasons鈥�), 鈥淢arxist鈥� district attorneys and 鈥渨oke tech leaders.鈥�
鈥淚鈥檓 here to tell you that help is on its way,鈥� he told more than 1,500 people crowded into an Anaheim convention center ballroom.
To roaring applause, Trump took the stage at the state Republican Party鈥檚 convention 鈥� the closest thing to a primary debate so far since he鈥檚 skipping the actual televised face-offs, including one Wednesday night in Simi Valley.
Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina will speak at a mid-afternoon session, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will give the dinner address. Vivek Ramaswamy, a former biotech executive, is scheduled to speak on Saturday.
But Trump is the headliner, even if he did arrive an hour late. His 90-minute stump speech included criticisms of various Democratic leaders 鈥� asking how former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi鈥檚 husband was doing and describing the speaking style of Rep. Maxine Waters as 鈥渧iolent,鈥� and Rep. Adam Schiff鈥檚 small neck.
Trump鈥檚 courting of party activists 鈥� and not all voters in the debates 鈥� is central to his strategy to win the GOP nomination again.
Winning over the base in California could mean winning all 169 delegates at stake in the state鈥檚 March primary 鈥� the biggest prize of any state and about 14% of the estimated total 1,234 needed to become the Republican nominee.
That potential delegate sweep is a gift from the state party, which to a winner-take-all system statewide, instead of divvying up delegates by congressional district. And that shouldn鈥檛 be too much of a struggle: In California, as in many other states, Trump has the . In a this week, Trump came in at 48% among Republican likely voters 鈥� just short of the 50% plus one he needs to get all the delegates. DeSantis is the only other candidate in double digits, at 14%.
In a rematch with President Biden in strongly Democratic California, however, the : Biden leads 57% to 26% among likely voters.
Trump鈥檚 support among Republicans is despite federal and state indictments he faces for interfering in the 2020 election, and for mishandling classified documents. He joked about the charges throughout the speech, and told the delegates, 鈥淚鈥檓 being indicted for you.鈥�
For any of the other GOP candidates, it鈥檚 an uphill fight to gain public attention, much less votes.
Some of the seven who did show up at the Reagan presidential library for Wednesday night鈥檚 debate tried to highlight Trump鈥檚 absence. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie even 鈥� 鈥淒onald Duck鈥� 鈥� for ducking debates.
But mostly, the candidates tried to tout themselves, when 鈥� and sometimes . Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley had one of the most talked-about moments, by saying of Ramaswamy: 鈥淓very time I hear you, I feel a little bit dumber from what you say.鈥�
For his part, Trump Wednesday night in Michigan that debate participants are applying for a job in his next administration. And he claimed he isn鈥檛 impressed: 鈥淒oes anybody see the VP in the group? I don鈥檛 think so.鈥�
Other things Trump said
- On law and order: Those who steal from stores 鈥渃an fully expect to be shot,鈥� which prompted a standing ovation and 鈥淭rump鈥� chants. (Retail theft is getting a lot of attention, prompting a .)
- On California鈥檚 drought: Officials have sacrificed people鈥檚 water needs for the sake of the environment: Due to water rationing, 鈥渞ich people from Beverly Hills, generally speaking, don鈥檛 smell so good.鈥�
- On immigration: The U.S.-Mexico border was under better control during his tenure, and now there are issues at the border with Canada as well.
- On Newsom and Biden: Newsom 鈥渉as become Biden鈥檚 top surrogate, because he doesn鈥檛 think he鈥檚 gonna make it.鈥� (The governor and is all in on helping Biden win reelection.)
Sen. Scott, who didn鈥檛 register in the PPIC poll of California Republicans, followed Trump and echoed some of the same points 鈥� addressing crime by funding the police, supporting parents鈥� bill of rights and 鈥渂reaking the backs of teachers鈥� unions鈥� and opposing transgender athletes. But in his speech to delegates, he focused especially on the southern border, blaming lax policies for deaths caused by fentanyl.
In a half-hour conversation with state party chairperson Jessica Millan Patterson, Scott also delved into his 鈥淢ade in America鈥� plan, which he said would create millions of new jobs by easing restrictions on oil drilling.
Despite Trump warning again about fraud with mail ballots, California Republican leaders are resigned to working within the system to have any hope of winning statewide races again. At this weekend鈥檚 convention, delegates can attend sessions about how to take advantage of the state鈥檚 election system of sending mail ballots to all voters.
The change to the system of awarding delegates 鈥� which some suspect has 鈥溾�� 鈥� has been one of a few . This weekend, party activists will also vote on whether to amend its platform to remove opposition to same-sex marriage and abortion 鈥� a move that drew conservative members to organize in opposition.
Others are calling for changes to the . The party endorses any Republican running in a partisan race in which no other Republican is running, which 鈥渉as led to some very embarrassing endorsements,鈥� Matt Shupe, chairperson of the Contra Costa Republican Party, and Ron Nehring, former state party chairperson, wrote in an .
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