Former President Trump on Sunday said he “became worse” after he was impeached by the House of Representatives twice during his four years in office.
Trump, during a speech at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), compared calls for his impeachment to calls for former Attorney General William Barr’s impeachment.
Two ethics groups in October called on the House to begin impeachment proceedings against Barr, arguing that he used his position for political reasons to help Trump.
Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), who sits on the House Judiciary Committee, called for Barr to be impeached last June, alleging that he was not following the rule of law.
Trump, during his speech to a crowd of Republican supporters in Dallas, said Barr “became a different man” following the calls for his impeachment, while the former president “didn’t become different.”
“He became a different man when the Democrats viciously stated that they wanted to impeach him. They went wild. We want to impeach him. We’re gonna impeach Bill Barr. We’re gonna impeach him. He became different. I understand that. I didn’t become different. I got impeached twice. I became worse,” Trump said, garnering applause from the crowd.
“I became worse,” he emphasized.
Trump was impeached by the lower chamber twice during his four-year tenure in the White House, first in December 2019 and then again in January 2021, making him the first president in U.S. history to be impeached twice.
The House first impeached the former president on two articles, abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, in connection with his dealings with Ukraine.
In the final days of his presidency, he was impeached again, that time for incitement of an insurrection, following the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
He was acquitted on all charges by the Senate.
Trump, following his second acquittal in February 2021, said the impeachment effort was “yet another phase of the greatest witch hunt in the history of our Country.”
“It is a sad commentary on our times that one political party in America is given a free pass to denigrate the rule of law, defame law enforcement, cheer mobs, excuse rioters, and transform justice into a tool of political vengeance, and persecute, blacklist, cancel and suppress all people and viewpoints with whom or which they disagree,” Trump wrote in a statement.
“I always have, and always will, be a champion for the unwavering rule of law, the heroes of law enforcement, and the right of Americans to peacefully and honorably debate the issues of the day without malice and without hate,” he added.
During his speech at CPAC, the former president also opined on the surge of migrants at the border, protecting the Second Amendment and the lawsuit he recently filed against Big Tech companies.
He did not reveal if he will wage another bid for the presidency in 2024, but he did vow to take back control of the House, Senate and the White House.