Sen. Rick Scott at CPAC slams ‘establishment’ Republicans who want to ‘go backwards’

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CPAC Chairman Matt Schlapp joins 'Fox & Friends' ahead of the annual event.

Sen. Rick Scott of Florida is taking aim at "establishment" Republicans who he charges are trying to take the GOP "backwards."

Speaking Friday at the Conservative Political Action Conference, the chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee charged that "the Washington establishment breathed a sigh of relief when President Trump left town. There are plenty of people in Washington who were hoping that we can go back to regular order. Go back to where the Republican Party used to be. They want to retreat to a safe space."

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Scott, a potential 2024 GOP presidential contender, argued that "we can go backwards. We can go to dial up internet. We can go to flip phones. We can go to typewriters. This is absolutely not the time to go backwards. We have in front of us massive challenges and massive opportunities. I’m going to focus on the massive opportunities we have."

The GOP "will not win the future by trying to go back to where the Republican Party used to be," the former two-term Florida governor and multi-millionaire businessman emphasized. "If we do, we will lose the working base that President Trump so animated. We’re going to lose elections across the county and, ultimately, we’re going to lose our nation. We’re not going to let that happen."

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"Some to prefer to fan the flames of a civil war on our side," Scott warned. "That’s foolish and it’s ridiculous. We have serious work to get done. We don’t have time for that."

The conference, known by its acronym CPAC, is the largest annual gathering of conservative activists and leaders. Fox Nation is a sponsor of CPAC 2021.

The conference comes as Trump vows to remain the dominant figure in the GOP going forward and pledges to support primary challengers against Republicans who have crossed him or who weren't supportive of his efforts to reverse his election loss last year to Joe Biden. Trump is also flirting with a presidential run in 2024.

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The former president's expected to tease a 2024 presidential bid as he gives the major address at CPAC on Sunday. The speech will be Trump's first since leaving the White House on Jan. 20