Trump dismisses rumor about him starting a political party

At a conservative conference in Florida, Donald Trump dismissed the rumor about him starting a political party, saying that it would split the Republican vote.

Hinting that he might run for office again in 2024, Trump made his first speech since the inauguration of Democrat Joe Biden as the president of the United States. 

The former US president strongly criticised Biden, saying US policy had gone from "America first to America last."

He was acquitted in an impeachment trial a few weeks ago. 

Trump’s continued influence over the Republican Party was apparent in his appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Orlando on Sunday. 

He is still banned from social media platforms, including Facebook and Twitter, over his response to January's deadly riot at the US Capitol.

Despite appearing on stage at the Hyatt Regency Hotel more than an hour late, supporters at the conference cheered the 74-year-old former US president. 

He said, "I stand before you today to declare that the incredible journey we began together four years ago is far from over. We are gathered this afternoon to talk about the future - the future of our movement, the future of our party, and the future of our beloved country."

He termed the rumours about him starting a new party as "fake news."

Trump even joked, "Wouldn't that be brilliant? Let's start a new party so we can divide our vote and never win." 

"We have the Republican Party. It's going to unite and be stronger than ever before," he further affirmed. 

According to reports, Trump remains extremely popular among his voting base even though he lost November's presidential election and was deeply criticised over the January riot. 

One US poll suggested last week that 46% of surveyed Trump voters would vote for him if he left the Republicans and started his own party.

However, the former US president reiterated his claims that he lost November's election to the Democrats because of electoral fraud. 

Hinting at another run in 2024, he said, "Actually you know they just lost the White House. But who knows - who knows? I may even decide to beat them for a third time, OK?"

He further stated, "We all knew that the Biden administration was going to be bad but none of us even imagined how just how bad they would be and how far left they would go," he told the cheering crowd.