10 Things in Politics: Trump teases 2024 run at CPAC

Good morning! Welcome back to 10 Things in Politics. I’m Brent Griffiths. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox each day.

Send your tips and thoughts to [email protected] or tweet me @BrentGriffiths.

Here’s what you need to know:

• Trump’s 2024 ambitions face a major test next year.
• New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo faces another sexual-harassment allegation.
• Congressional Democrats want to move gun-violence legislation this month.

1. HE’S BACK: Former President Donald Trump tore into his successor and disloyal Republicans in his CPAC speech, his first since leaving the White House. While he rejected the idea of creating a new party, Trump strongly hinted he’ll run for the GOP presidential nomination in 2024.

For now, activists and fellow Republicans say his biggest test is next year. More from our exclusive report.

• Key quote: "If he loses at a greater rate than he did in past primary cycles, he weakens his case of strength," one longtime GOP strategist told my colleague Tom LoBianco at CPAC.

We also fact-checked Trump's speech.

On paper, 2022 looks promising for Republicans: The president's party traditionally struggles in midterms. The GOP just needs to flip five House seats and one Senate seat.

• But Trump made clear he'll back primary challengers: He called out Republican lawmakers who supported his impeachment by name, before singling out Rep. Liz Cheney as a "warmonger."
• Such challengers, especially in swing districts or closely-contested Senate races, could alienate general-election voters.

One of the Republicans Trump attacked:

It won't be a glide to 2024: The CPAC/Washington Times straw poll released just before Trump's speech found 97% of attendees approved of his performance as president, but only 68% wanted him to run again in 2024. Straw polls aren't scientific, but higher numbers would have been expected for Trump from a heavily pro-MAGA crowd.

Read our exclusive report.

Other CPAC takeaways:

• Multiple Republican lawmakers skip in-person voting on the $1.9 trillion relief plan: House rules allow representatives to vote remotely by having a colleague cast their vote for them, but the GOP had slammed this pandemic-related change, arguing it would lead to lawmakers not showing up to work. Yet 13 Republicans were set to do exactly that while attending CPAC.
• So much for the grand old parties: CPAC is known for its raucous atmosphere, but the pandemic and a lack of young conservatives left the traditional party scene lacking.

2. The New York AG rejected Cuomo's proposal on how to investigate sexual-harassment claims against him: Letitia James wants her office alone to select an outside lawyer to investigate claims about Gov. Andrew Cuomo under a referral that would give the investigation subpoena power. Cuomo also apologized to people who "misinterpreted" some of his actions as "unwanted flirtation," saying he was only trying to "add some levity and banter to what is a very serious business."

• A second former aide has come forward: Charlotte Bennett, 25, said Cuomo made unwanted advances last spring. She told The New York Times the governor asked inappropriate questions that made her "horribly uncomfortable," including whether she had been monogamous in past relationships or slept with older men.

3. Dems could start pushing for long-sought gun reform laws this month: Top Democrats in the House and Senate tell Insider that they want to push for background check legislation, similar to what the House passed in 2019. Even with complete control in Washington, Democrats would still need 60 votes in the Senate. More on what else is on the table here.

4. Senate Democrats abandoned a plan B for a $15 minimum wage: Sens. Bernie Sanders and Ron Wyden had proposed a tax on large corporations that do not pay their workers enough, after a straight $15-per-hour minimum wage was forced out of the COVID-19 relief bill last week. They're now ditching their proposal, The Washington Post first reported, so that the relief plan can quickly pass before unemployment insurance expires. More on what this means.

5. Biden backs efforts of Amazon workers to organize: The president offered his support for Amazon employees in Alabama, defending their rights as they consider forming a union. He did not mention the tech giant specifically, but said every worker has the right to determine whether or not to join.

6. The top things for your calendar, all times Eastern:

• 11:00 a.m: Dr. Anthony Fauci and other members of the White House pandemic team hold a news conference.
• 12:00 p.m.: Jen Psaki holds the White House daily news conference with DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
• 4:30 p.m.: Biden meets virtually with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
• 5:30 p.m.: The Senate votes on Miguel Cardona's nomination to be Education Secretary.

7. Republicans are using the "big lie" to push voting-rights restrictions: In statehouses across the country, the myth that the election was stolen from Trump is behind a number of proposals that would create new barriers to voting, The Times reports.

8. Fauci encourages Americans to get whatever vaccine they can: He said he would have "no hesitancy whatsoever" taking the newly-authorized Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The two previously-authorized vaccines have higher efficacy rates, but Fauci noted that the three shots were not compared to each other. Americans could start receiving J&J's vaccine this week.

9. Everything you missed during the Golden Globes: Stars sometimes struggled with technology in the mostly-virtual affair co-hosted by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. Netflix won big, courtesy of "The Crown" (4) and "The Queen's Gambit" (2). "Schitt's Creek" ended its run with two more Globes, including for best comedy series. Here's the complete list of winners. The most awkward moments. And all the looks. 

• A historic win: Chloé Zhao became the first Asian woman and only the second female winner in the best director category, winning for "Nomadland," which also got best drama motion picture.
• Moments of the night: Taylor Simone Ledward, wife of the late Chadwick Boseman, gave a tearful acceptance of his posthumous Globe for his performance in "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom." A sketch about how little children know about movies also delivered smiles when every single one interviewed immediately knew Boseman as the Black Panther.

10. "SNL" skewered Cuomo and California Gov. Gavin Newsom: The Democrats were blasted in Saturday's cold open for their recent controversies. The sketch riffed on vaccine confusion by having Fauci, played by Kate McKinnon, host a game show called "So you think you can get the vaccine?" At one point, Fauci offered a contestant the "Kirkland-signature vaccine" that comes with "a free pack of 24 hot dogs." Watch the full sketch.

One last thing. 

Today's trivia question: Today is the first day of Women's History Month. Who was the first woman to give a response to a State of the Union address? Note: We'll accept either the name of this woman or the first woman to provide a solo-response. Email your guess and a suggested question to me at [email protected].

• Friday's answer: Inventor Samuel Morse sent the first telegraph from inside the US Capitol.