President Trump Donald TrumpTrump lashes out after grand jury seated for New York criminal probe Schumer tees up vote on Jan. 6 commission bill Senators struggle to save Jan. 6 commission MORE delivered a freewheeling speech Saturday at the 2019 Conservative Political Action Conference that often veered off script and hit on a slew of familiar themes as the White House gears up for the 2020 election. Trump spoke to a rapt audience at the largest annual conservative summit in an address that featured invectives against the president’s political enemies, several standing ovations and little daylight between the White House and its base. ADVERTISEMENT Here are the top nine moments from Trump’s address. 1. Trump jokes about Russia, Clinton’s emails Trump suggested he was joking when he said during the 2016 campaign that he hoped Russia would find Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonHillary Clinton takes on conspiracy theories on Borat special Top general: Russia, China will look to expand influence in Middle East as US pulls back We have a chance to halt climate change if we stop destroying carbon sinks and cut methane MORE's deleted emails, sparking familiar “Lock her up” chants. “I’ve learned, because with the fake news, if you tell a joke, if you’re sarcastic, if you’re having fun with the audience,” he said, “If you say something like ‘Russia, please if you can, get us Hillary Clinton’s emails, please, Russia, please, please get us the emails.' ” The president was referencing a July 2016 news conference in which he said, “Russia, if you are listening, I hope you are able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing. I think you will probably be rewarded mightily by the press.” Russian operatives made their first attempt to hack Clinton’s servers that same day, according to an indictment from special counsel Robert Mueller Robert (Bob) MuellerSenate Democrats urge Garland not to fight court order to release Trump obstruction memo Why a special counsel is guaranteed if Biden chooses Yates, Cuomo or Jones as AG Barr taps attorney investigating Russia probe origins as special counsel MORE. 2. Trump slams “little shifty Schiff” The president also went after House Democrats’ widespread investigations into his campaign and finances, singling out House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff Adam Bennett SchiffSchiff: Marjorie Taylor Greene's actions 'a sign of the greater rot in her party' Sunday shows - Cheney removal, CDC guidance reverberate Schiff: Biden administration needs to 'push harder' to stop violence in Mideast MORE (D-Calif.). “There’s no collusion, so now they go and morph into ‘let’s inspect every deal he’s ever done,’ ” he said. “These people are sick.” ADVERTISEMENT “I saw little shifty Schiff yesterday,” Trump added. “He went into a meeting and he said, ‘We’re going to look into his finances.’ I said ‘Where did that come from? He always talked about Russia.’ ” Schiff’s committee is already conducting its own probe into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia in 2016 and announced last month it would expand its probe into Trump’s personal finances. Other House committees are conducting their own investigations and hearings into Trump, and special counsel Robert Mueller is expected to conclude his own collusion probe in the coming weeks. 3. Trump defends emergency declaration Trump defended his widely criticized emergency declaration he made last month, saying the nation faces a national security crisis at the southern border. “A lot of people talk about precedent. Precedent. That if we do this, the Democrats will use national emergency powers for something that we don’t want,” he said. “They’re going to do that anyway, folks. The best way to stop that is to make sure I win the election.” “I’m very concerned with having murderers and drug traffickers and drugs and drug cartels pouring into our country.” The comments came after the House of Representatives passed a bill to overturn the emergency declaration, which the Senate will soon be forced to vote on as well. The GOP controls the upper chamber by a 53-47 majority, though three Republicans have already said they will support Democrats, meaning only one more defection is needed to pass the bill in the Senate, likely setting up a veto from the White House. 4. Trump addressed the fallout over Otto Warmbier comments Trump addressed the controversy over his comments earlier this week saying he took North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at his word that he was unaware of the circumstances around U.S. student Otto Warmbier. “We got our great, great people, and that includes our beautiful, beautiful Otto. Otto Warmbier, whose parents I’ve gotten to know, who’s incredible,” Trump said. “And I’m in such a horrible position, because in one way I have to negotiate, in the other way, I love Mr. and Mrs. Warmbier, and I love Otto. And it’s a very, very delicate balance. He was a special young man that to see what happened, so bad, it was so bad.” Warmbier was detained in North Korea and sentenced to 15 years of hard labor for allegedly taking a poster while he was visiting there in 2016. The student was returned to the United States in a vegetative state in 2017 and died shortly after. Trump sparked outrage earlier this week when he said Kim told him he was unaware of Warmbier’s circumstances and “I take him at his word.” He was later forced to backtrack, saying he was being “misinterpreted” and “of course” blames North Korea for Warmbier’s death. 5. Trump attacks Democrats over “socialism” The president excoriated Democrats for what he says is an embrace of socialism, citing new policies like "Medicare for all" and the "Green New Deal," which is spearheaded by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Alexandria Ocasio-CortezGOP leaders face new calls to boot Greene Joe Crowley to register as lobbyist for recording artists Democratic leaders discussed restraining order for Ocasio-Cortez against Greene: report MORE and seeks to combat climate change by investing in eco-friendly jobs. “Socialism is not about the environment, it’s not about justice, it’s not about virtue. Socialism is about only one thing: it’s called power for the ruling class,” Trump said.<doc-sep>President Trump defended his decision to declare a national emergency by invoking how past US presidents have used the emergency power. “Many emergency declarations have been used to protect people in faraway nations and distant lands,” the President told the audience at CPAC on Saturday. “Now we are protecting finally our people.” While Trump admitted that even some in the Republican Party had pushed back against his decision, he cited his usual rhetoric of an "invasion" at the southern border as justification. “We are being invaded," Trump said. "We’re being invaded by drugs, by people, by criminals, and we have to stop it.” The President also acknowledged some Republicans' fears that the move could set a precedent that could potentially be used against them by Democrats in the future. “They’re going to do that anyway folks,” Trump argued. “The best way to stop that is to make sure that I win the election." He also added that through his immigration policies, he was trying to do the work that Congress couldn't, or wouldn't, do. “Our laws are so crazy,” Trump said, “But one by one we’re finding ways. You know they call them loopholes, a lot of our laws are loopholes. Well, I’m trying to get loopholes to get around the loopholes because our Congress can’t act. They just can’t act.”<doc-sep>In remarks that quickly departed from the script, Trump scolded the conservative free traders who question his tariffs. He reframed the 2018 midterm elections as a victory for Republicans lucky enough to get his support. He aimed to unify his party against the radical-left Democrats, and he claimed that their Green New Deal would take away Americans’ cars and prohibit air travel. This was not a policy address; this was a rallying cry, all about making it very clear to conservatives that their political success—and their survival—depends on him. Here are seven moments of possibly record-breaking presidential oratory: About 10 minutes in, President Trump threw out his script: You know, I don’t know, maybe you know. You know, I’m totally off script, right … You know, I’m totally off script right now. And this is how I got elected, by being off script. True. And if we don’t go off script, our country is in big trouble, folks. ’Cause we have to get it back. He lampooned Democratic proposals for a Green New Deal: No planes. No energy. When the wind stops blowing, that is the end of your electric. Let’s hurry up. “Darling, darling, is the wind blowing today? I would like to watch television, darling” ... Their plan would remove every gas-powered car from American roads. Oh, that’s not so bad. They want you to have one car instead of two. And it should be electric. Okay. So tell people, no more cars, no more cars ... It would end air travel. But you’ll get on a train, don’t worry about it. You just have to cross off about 95 percent of the world. And it would force the destruction or renovation of virtually every existing structure in the United States. New York City would have to rip down buildings and rebuild ’em again. I don’t think so. This is the craziest plan. And yet I see senators that are there for 20 years, white hair. See, I don’t have white hair. I don’t have white hair. I see these white hairs, longtime senators, standing behind this young woman, and she’s ranting and raving like a lunatic, and these senators: “Yes, I agree with this. Yes I agree.” The crazy female senator from the state of Ohio. [Both of Ohio’s senators are men; it appears he was instead referring to Democratic Senator Mazie Hirono of Hawaii.] The state of Hawaii. She’s like a crazy person. What she said about men is so bad. He mounted a ferocious attack on Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation: Robert Mueller put 13 of the angriest Democrats in the history of our country on the commission. How do you do that? These are angry, angry people. You take a look at them. One of them was involved with the Hillary Clinton foundation, running it. Another one has perhaps the worst reputation of any human being I’ve ever seen. All killers. In fact it would have been actually better for them if they put half and half, and Mueller can do whatever he wants anyway, which he’ll probably. But we have conflicts. I had a nasty business transaction with Robert Mueller a number of years ago. I said, why wasn’t that mentioned? He wanted the job as FBI director. I did not give it to him. Why isn’t that mentioned? Jim Comey, Lyin’ James Comey, is his best friend. James Comey is his best friend. And those are a few of the conflicts. Other than that it’s wonderful. He decried immigrants and members of Congress who “hate our country”: We need workers to come in. But they need to come in legally, and they’ve got to come in through merit, merit, merit. They’ve got to come in through merit, they have to be people who can help us, they have to be people who can love our country, not hate our country. We have people in Congress right now, we have people in Congress that hate our country. And you know that. And we can name every one of them if they want. They hate our country. Sad. It’s very sad. When I see some of the things being made, the statements being made, it’s very, very sad. And find out: How did they do in their country? Just ask ’em. How did they do? Did they do well? Were they succeeding? Just ask that question. Someone would say, “Oh, that’s terrible that he brings that up,” but that’s okay, I don't mind, I’ll bring it up. How did they do in their country? Not so good. Not so good. He returned to the size of the crowd that attended his 2017 inauguration and criticized the media for misreporting how many people had come: It was raining. And it was wet, and the grass was wet. And women and men, and I consider them totally equal so I’m not going to say it’s harder—in fact it’s probably, with the men I know, it’s actually easier for the women to make the walk. But they had to walk all the way down. They had to walk in high heels in many cases. They had to walk all the way down to the Washington Monument and then back. And I looked and I made a speech, and I said, before I got on, I said to the people that were sitting next to me, “I’ve never seen anything like this. Look at that crowd.” And it was wide! Wide! We had a crowd—I’ve never seen a thing like it. And I have to live—I have to live with “crowd size.” It is all a phony deal, folks. But I saw a picture just the other night of practically no people. It was taken hours before our great day. That was a great day for us. That was a great, great day. People came from all over. People came from all over. So, “Sir, it doesn’t matter. Nobody cares.” I said, “But I care. And people care. People care.”<doc-sep>Sign Up For Newsletters Woman receives gift of motherhood after cancer diagnosis Stacey Abrams on writing herself into the story – and history Maya Angelou and Sally Ride to be honored on quarters Dancers seek to rid ballet performances of Asian stereotypes China's censors cut some new friends from the "Friends" reunion Lawmakers call for ambassador to protect Afghan women Boat carrying 20 overturns heading from Cuba to Florida SolarWinds hackers have launched new campaign, Microsoft says "3-martini lunch" tax break should be axed, lawmakers say Flying over Memorial Day? Expect long lines at airports Some great white sharks are getting closer to humans, videos show Be the first to know Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Not Now Turn On<doc-sep>
WASHINGTON — In the longest speech of his presidency to date, President Donald Trump riled up the audience at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Saturday, letting loose on topics ranging from the Russia investigation and the Democratic presidential field to free speech on college campuses. Trump, still reeling from a blistering week both at home and abroad, claimed he was being "sarcastic" and "having fun with the audience" when during the 2016 campaign he urged Russia to hack Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton's emails. “I've learned with the fake news, if you tell a joke, if you are sarcastic, if you're having fun with the audience, if you are on live television with millions of people and 25,000 people in an arena, and if you say something like ‘Russia, please, if you can, get us Hillary Clinton's emails! Please, Russia, please! Please get us the emails! Please!’” Trump said in a mocking tone. Trump was referring to a press conference in July 2016 during which he said, “Russia, if you're listening, I hope you're able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing. I think you will probably be rewarded mightily by our press. Let's see if that happens, that'll be next.” According to an indictment from special counsel Robert Mueller, Russians made their first attempt to hack Clinton’s personal servers that same day. Trump’s remarks, which ran for more than two hours, came just days after he returned from a trip abroad to meet with North Korean leaders, during which he suggested that North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un was not responsible for the death of American college student Otto Warmbier. "I'm in such a horrible position because in one way I have to negotiate. The other way, I love Mr. and Mrs. Warmbier, and I love Otto. And it's a very, very delicate balance. He was a special young man and to see what happened was so bad," Trump said, appearing to offer an explanation for his previous comments. But for the most part, Trump kept the focus on domestic issues and the national political fray. “All of the sudden they're trying to take you out with bullshit,” Trump said, in reference to Mueller's probe. “Robert Mueller never received a vote and neither did the person who appointed him,” Trump continued, as he attempted to portray Mueller’s team as a group of the “angriest Democrats.” Trump again disparaged his former attorney general, Jeff Sessions, who recused himself from overseeing the special counsel investigation, a move Trump took as an act of betrayal. “And as you know, the attorney general says, ‘I'm going to recuse myself,'” Trump said, mimicking a Southern accent. “And I said, ‘Why the hell didn't he tell me that before I put him in?’ How do you recuse yourself?” Saturday marked the president’s third CPAC speech since he was elected president. In the past, Trump has used CPAC to energize his conservative base — and this was no exception. Trump attacked Democrats as socialists, warned once again of a caravan at the southern border full of “stone cold killers,” and referred to 2020 Democratic candidates as “maniacs," accusing their party of supporting “extreme late-term abortion.” With the 2018 midterms behind him, Trump foreshadowed issues he hopes to focus on in his re-election campaign. The Green New Deal was front and center on Saturday. “Nothing is more extreme than the Democrats’ plan to completely take over American energy and completely destroy America’s economy through their new $100 trillion Green New Deal,” Trump said, describing the Democratic plan to tackle climate change as a “high school term paper written by a poor student." Trump also attacked 2020 Democratic presidential candidates, lamenting that he should not have referred to Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., as “Pocahontas” so early on in the election cycle. “I should've saved the Pocahontas thing for another year because I’ve destroyed her political career and now I won't get a chance to run against her and I would've loved it,” Trump told the crowd. “I don’t want to knock out all the good stuff and end up with somebody that’s actually got talent.” Trump also invited activist Hayden Williams on stage as he announced he plans to sign an executive order “very soon” requiring colleges and universities to support free speech if they want to receive federal grants. Williams, 26, who is not a college student, was reportedly attacked on the UC-Berkeley campus while he was attempting to recruit students to his conservative activist group.