Trump Has Shocking Moment of Honesty During CPAC Speech, Says Straw Poll Is Only Accurate If It’s Good For Him; If It’s Bad, He’ll ‘Just Say It’s Fake’

Former President Donald Trump had a shocking moment of honesty in the middle of his speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Sunday, telling the audience that he was waiting for the straw poll results (a regular part of the CPAC events for years), and if the poll was bad for him, he would call it “fake,” but if it was good, then he’d say it was “the most accurate poll, perhaps ever.”

Trump’s speech to a supportive crowd in Dallas, Texas lasted about an hour and a half, and the regular cheers and applause seemed to indicate that he was in very friendly territory. In the 2020 election, Trump won Texas 52.06% to President Joe Biden’s 46.48%.

“By the way, you have a poll coming out,” Trump said about halfway through his remarks. “I want to know what it is. You know they do that straw poll, right?”

“Now, if it’s bad, I just say it’s fake,” Trump continued, as the crowd laughed. “If it’s good, I say that’s the most accurate poll, perhaps ever.”

Trump commented, apparently to CPAC chairman Matt Schlapp, that he thought the straw poll results were ready and he wanted to hear them. “I guess it gets announced after, I want to find out, are you going to — oh, he won’t. He won’t tell me.”

The former president also had a prediction: “If it’s bad, it’s front page news in the newspapers and if it’s great, they won’t even cover it.”

Shortly after the speech ended, Fox News correspondent Casey Stegall reported that the CPAC straw poll had indeed been very favorable for Trump.

Among the poll respondents, 98% gave Trump a positive approval rating, and when asked for whom they would vote if the 2024 Republican presidential primary were held today, 70% picked Trump, and 26% Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL).

When asked the same question without Trump on the ballot, DeSantis was the overwhelming favorite in the straw poll, taking 68%, with all other competitors at 5% or lower.

Trump also made a strange comment claiming that he had requested that Schlapp give him “the worst time, the worst slot,” presumably to make it look more impressive that he was able to draw a crowd.

In fact, his Sunday afternoon speaking time was actually fairly standard for CPAC keynote speeches, where the most prominent speaker is scheduled for the final day of the conference. A former Republican president who still maintains a high level of popularity with the base is — very unsurprisingly — the main event for a conference like CPAC.

At the CPAC event held in February in Orlando, Florida Trump spoke on Sunday, the last day of the conference, around the same time as he did today.

The CPAC that was held in February 2020 at the previous location of the Gaylord Hotel in Baltimore, Maryland opened on Wednesday and Trump’s speech Saturday, February 29 was the final event that closed out the conference. CPAC 2020 made headlines after an early outbreak of Covid-19 was traced to an attendee, and multiple Republican lawmakers were forced to quarantine.

Watch the video above, via Fox News.

This post has been updated with additional information.