A TRUMP-mad drag queen has claimed “tenacious” Donald had the “energy of a teenager” in his speech at CPAC on Saturday, as he revealed why he’s thrown his lot in with the MAGA movement.
Ryan Woods, who also goes by their drag persona “Lady MAGA USA,” spoke to The U.S. Sun just moments after Donald Trump had left the stage following his 90-minute speech to devotees.
Trump was addressing followers at CPAC – the Conservative Political Action Conference – a grassroots Republican convention held just south of Washington DC in National Harbor, Maryland.
Ryan, who had traveled from Utah to attend the four-day event, explained that they had come to CPAC to “celebrate patriotism,” and to “meet people from all over the world who share the same values.”
He said that while “five percent” of people he’d met at CPAC had shown “negativity and hatred” towards him, the response to a drag queen at the conservative event had been overwhelmingly positive.
“It’s been 90 percent smiles, selfies, hugs, and celebrations,” he added.
Ryan said he had been “blown away and amazed” by Trump’s speech to the MAGA faithful in the assembly room moments earlier.
Referring to the 70-year-old’s “energy” and “jokes,” he added: “I can’t imagine being as old as he is, and having gone through as much as he has gone through, and still having that light-hearted sincerity with his audience.
Describing how “special” it was to see Donald Trump in person, Ryan added: “He has more energy than a 14-year-old.”
He said that because Trump hadn’t “given up despite all his challenges,” it would inspire all Americans to be “tenacious” and “hold onto their dreams.”
Ryan admitted to being “wary” of Trump and the MAGA movement at first as a drag queen and a gay man, but said the former Apprentice host had “won him over” with the way he “calls a spade a spade,” and wasn’t “politically correct.”
Despite what some would see as a contradiction between being a drag artist and being part of what he described as “the hardcore patriot movement,” Ryan insisted their values were united.
“We really want to unite as Americans,” he said, adding how “uplifting” he had found the week.
He also said he couldn’t vote for the “anti-American” modern Democrat party for pushing a “socialist” agenda.
“I don’t want the DMV running every aspect of my life,” he said.
“As a drag artist and a gay man, I’m more than an alphabet, I’m more than an alleged queer community,” he said.
“I’m an individual first and I want a strong country, and I see everyone around me, no matter their skin color or sexual orientation, as my fellow Americans.
“I want to be on the side that smiles and waves the flag.”
Other CPAC attendees compared Trump to a “rockstar,” and said he had drawn a clear divide between himself and Joe Biden.
Following his speech – which began an hour after schedule and went on almost three times longer than expected, Trump flew to South Carolina for the Republican primary results.
Trump coasted to victory in South Carolina, dealing his main Republican rival Nikki Haley a devastating blow to her campaign in her home state.
Back in DC, Trump was followed by Steve Bannon, his former White House Chief of Staff, who whipped up the crowd with a typically firebrand speech.
Bannon declared “nothing” could stop the MAGA movement as he ordered his passionate disciples to march “onward to victory” in November’s upcoming Presidential Election.
His speech bookended CPAC – which began on Wednesday with a similarly fiery Bannon event, in this case, a lunch for his War Room podcast in a packed smaller room.
To the delight of the crowd, Bannon said MAGA could “rule the US for 50 years,” and predicted Trump would go down in history as the greatest American President since Abraham Lincoln.
Among the other attendees The U.S Sun has spoken to is a man who designed and 3D printed a 24-karat gold-plated MAGA hat.
We’ve also heard harrowing stories from families devastated by America’s fentanyl crisis.
One couple was sent a letter by Donald and Melania Trump following the deaths of two of their sons from accidental overdoses.
Although not an official Trump event, CPAC had all the trappings of one, down to the MAGA merchandise available in the hall.
Trump’s crushing victory in South Carolina on Saturday night makes a repeat of the 2020 election battle between himself and Joe Biden all but inevitable this November.
For now, the only likely unknown in his campaign is who his running-mate will be.
A Trump and Biden election – with their combined ages of 158 – would make them the oldest two candidates for the major US parties in any previous race.
The figure breaks the record for the previous oldest candidates – set by Biden and Trump in 2020.