Tag: CPAC

‘Worshipping the golden jackass’: CPAC mocked for displaying giant gold Trump statue

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The Conservative Political Action Conference is set to begin this weekend, and early indications are that much of it will be dedicated to worshipping former President Donald Trump.

In fact, as a video posted by Bloomberg News’ William Turton shows, CPAC will even feature a literal gold statue of the former twice-impeached one-term president, who will also be a keynote speaker at the event.

Many Twitter users noted that a gold Trump statue would seem to violate biblical commandments against idolatry, and it drew comparisons to the golden calf idoldestroyed by Moses in the Old Testament. Continue reading.

At conservative gathering, ideas fall to an airing of Trump grievances

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One panel will discuss whether tech companies are “colluding to deprive us of our humanity.” One speech will explore what to do when a social media network “de-platforms” a conservative by deleting his account. And seven main-stage panels or speeches will litigate the 2020 election, with panelists who mostly — and incorrectly — argue that Donald Trump won.

The Conservative Political Action Conference, which began this week, has evolved from a fractious meeting of Republicans and libertarians into a celebration of the 45th president and the airing of his grievances.

Trump will close out the event with his first speech since leaving the White House, minutes after a 2024 presidential straw poll that he’s expected to win. The arguments among some elected Republicans about whether they should retool their agenda to prevent future losses, or revisit their alliance with Trump, will have to happen somewhere else. Continue reading.

Annual Far-Right Conclave To Feature GOP Hopefuls, Riot Instigators And Virus ‘Truthers’

The annual Conservative Political Action Conference — traditionally the who’s who of Republican politics — will look a lot different in 2021.

For the first time since the event began in 1974, CPAC will not take place in the Washington, D.C., area, but rather in Florida, because the Republican-run state is allowing the conference to take place without coronavirus restrictions as the COVID-19 pandemic rages on.

It’s not a marked difference from CPAC 2020, which was one of the first potential superspreader events of the pandemic in February 2020, forcing a number of Republican lawmakers into quarantine after they were exposed to a positive coronavirus case at the annual gathering. Continue reading.

A top MAGA gathering finds life complicated after Trump

CPAC was at the top of its powers last year. Then Covid-19 hit, Trump lost, and the postelection chaos ensued. Now, the confab has some challenges ahead. 

One of the premier MAGA gatherings in the nation is struggling to recreate the magic this year. 

For decades, the Conservative Political Action Conference has been a staple of Republican politics. In recent years, the conservative confab has been the go-to stop for rising GOP stars, grassroots organizers and luminaries in the Trump movement.

But President Donald Trump’s election loss has created hurdles around programming and guest booking. Stringent coronavirus guidelines in Maryland have pushed the conference outside of the Washington area for the first time in nearly 50 years. Previous sponsors aren’t yet committed or have decided to forgo sponsorship entirely because of changes to the event’s format or disappointment in the return on their investment last year. And the president that attendees adored so much may not show up to the event at all. Continue reading.

These members are self-quarantining after being exposed to coronavirus patients

Lawmakers interacted with people later diagnosed with coronavirus

At least six members of Congress have said they interacted with individuals who tested positive for coronavirus and many have vowed to stay away from Capitol Hill temporarily.

Republican Reps. Doug Collins of Georgia and Matt Gaetz of Florida, as well as California Democrat Julia Brownley, announced Monday they were self-quarantining. Republican Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas said in separate statements Sunday they would also self-quarantine after interacting with a person who later tested positive for COVID-19.

Gaetz, Collins, Gosar and Cruz said they were exposed to a coronavirus patient at the Conservative Political Action Conference, which typically attracts thousands of conservatives and was held Feb. 26-29 at National Harbor in Maryland. Continue reading.

GOP scramble is on to succeed Donald Trump in 2024

From Mike Pence and Mike Pompeo to Nikki Haley and Ted Cruz, the cast of potential White House hopefuls is out in force at CPAC.

NATIONAL HARBOR, MD — President Donald Trump is locked in a tough reelection battle, yet the Republicans looking to succeed him are already circling.

They’re visiting early primary states, reaching out to major donors, and — in one instance — even running commercials in Iowa. But perhaps the most overt display of ambition is on display this week here at the Conservative Political Action Conference, a rite of passage for White House aspirants eager to audition before thousands of activists whose support can be critical down the line.

Those with the most prominent speaking roles — a list that includes the likes of Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz — are regarded as likely 2024 contenders. At Wednesday evening’s opening reception, former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley was mobbed by fans, including a woman who wore a “Nikki 2024” baseball cap. Haley took a picture with the woman and signed the hat. Continue reading.

‘Off-script’ Trump intensifies campaign to ‘destroy’ investigations

Credit: Al Drago, Bloomberg, Getty Images

GOP insider sees ‘PR war’ as House Democrats bore deeper with sweeping document request

President Donald Trump went on the attack over the weekend before a conservative audience and in a series of tweets, signaling a legal and public relations strategy that will likely decide whether he wins a second term.

For over two hours Saturday, Trump veered from topic to topic and political foe to political foe during a fiery appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference outside Washington. The list of federal, state and congressional investigations into his 2016 campaign and business dealings are all “bullshit,” he said before mocking his former attorney general. A day later, he tried to blame House Democrats for his failure to make any progress with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un last week.

“Nothing in there was new. I mean, he’s talked about all of that before,” a senior White House official said.

View the complete March 5 article by John T. Bennett on The Roll Call website here.

Ramble On: At CPAC, Trump Rants Until Auditorium Starts To Empty

Credit: Al Drago, Bloomberg, Getty Images

When Donald Trump showed up for his annual appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference outside Washington on Saturday afternoon, he must have anticipated a happy ending to a very bad week. Here seated before him were thousands of buzzing cult followers, eager to rise and applaud repeatedly even as he rambled on inanely for hours. Scheduled to speak for 50 minutes, according to the CPAC schedule, Trump just couldn’t tear himself away from the “love” in that big hotel ballroom, as he put it. So he just didn’t stop for a long, long time.

Well before he finally did stop, however, people started to stream out of the ballroom — just around the moment when his meandering remarks turned to crowd size, one of his favorite topics. It was amazing to hear him boast that nobody had left while he spoke, even as he watched them walking out the doors — and then to hear him predict that the media would report people had left, as if it were untrue. (At that point, someone in the rear yelled, “Fake news!”)

That scary little moment showed again how Trump gaslights his base and how susceptible they are to his tricks. No doubt those who walked out while he was talking would later agree with the president that nobody had out. Anyone who laments the loss of presidential dignity would find no agreement among these fine people, bless their hearts. They jump up and cheer when they hear him scream “Bullshit!” and “We kicked their ass!”

View the complete March 2 article by Joe Conason on the National Memo website here.

5 takeaways as Republicans close ranks at CPAC

NATIONAL HARBOR, MARYLAND — Conservatives converged on this lavish resort development on the outskirts of Washington this week for the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).

The four-day event amounted to a preview of the Republican strategy as the party prepares to head into 2020, when President Trump and nearly two dozen GOP senators will face reelection.

That strategy, laid out by speakers and activists at CPAC, appears almost certain to hinge on a vow to combat what many conservatives see as “socialism” within the Democratic Party and to preserve the legacy of Trump.

View the complete March 2 article by Max Greenwood on The Hill website here.

Trump promises executive order that could strip colleges of funding if they don’t ‘support free speech’

A new executive order from the White House will aim to make federal research funding for colleges and universities contingent on their support for “free speech,” President Trump said Saturday.

The announcement, during Trump’s address to the Conservative Political Action Conference, appeared to target complaints by some university critics that institutions of higher education stifle right-wing viewpoints.

“If they want our dollars, and we give it to them by the billions, they’ve got to allow people like Hayden and many great young people, and old people, to speak,” Trump said, bringing onstage a young conservative, Hayden Williams, who was physically attacked last month while tabling for a conservative organization at the University of California at Berkeley.

View the complete March 2 article by Brian Fung on The Washington Post website here.