Watch Trump go 'off script' at CPAC

It was a rough week for President Trump — he failed to secure a deal with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Vietnam and his former personal lawyer testified against him before Congress. But he was back in his element at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland, on Saturday, speaking before a raucous crowd.

The president acknowledged early in his remarks that he was going off script because "this is how I got elected," and, "if we don't go off script, our country is in big trouble."

Go off script he did. When Trump first appeared, he gave the American flag standing on stage a hug. Topics meandered throughout — from trade with China and the Green New Deal to Hillary Clinton and William McKinley. He even lamented how he has to convince his childhood friends to call him "Donny", instead of "Mr. President."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Trump also used his time on stage to criticize the media and Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russian election meddling investigation, as well as to praise political allies like Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.).

Watch the speech below. Tim O'Donnell