Thursday, March 28

At CPAC, Trump delivers a reminder of his muscle


Back in Washington, the GOP might be at odds about whether or not the party’s future should prominently feature the ex-president. And within Trump world, there’s been some angst about his current standing. There were fears he might not play as well with the CPAC crowd after being out of office, especially at a conference held in the backyard of another 2024 frontrunner: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. But among the activists at CPAC, it turns out, diehard conservatives remain more excited about the prospect of a Trump reelection than anything else.

Trump flags hung from right-wing media booths where the former president’s allies and former White House officials talked about “America First” policy, raged against culture war issues and railed on the Biden administration. Attendees sported “Trump was Right” buttons, and bedazzled MAGA hats were seen at every turn. Supporters clamored for the chance to attend a free VIP reception with Trump, and a buffet of his favorite McDonalds fast food from him.

For all the chatter that Trump’s influence over the Republican Party is growing weaker, that others in the GOP tent are feeling more emboldened to break with him, there were few signs of it here. Inside the confines of CPAC — a conference that provides a pulse read for the conservative movement — there was little sense that the former president was anything other than the center of attention. The cavernous ballroom was, for the first time all weekend, completely full when Trump took the stage to roaring cheers on Saturday night.

“We did it twice, and we’ll do it again. We’re going to be doing it again a third time,” Trump said to cheers. Partway through his speech, the crowd erupted into cheers of “Four more years!”

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A group of five friends from Texas traveled to Florida to wear their support for Trump with bright yellow shirts that spelled out the former president’s name in red sequin letters.

“I don’t want to jinx it,” said Sandy Pate, who wore the letter “P,” when asked about Trump running again. “We want Trump to run. We want America back.”

“I think if we can take the House and the Senate back and he is running,” said Kristi Mitts, emblazoned with the “R.”

All signs point toward Trump running in 2024, according to people close to him, unless President Joe Biden’s approval numbers suggest he’s unbeatable or Trump decides that life as a political kingmaker in Mar-a-Lago beats the hassle, at his age, of another run .

In their appearances in Orlando, Trump’s potential 2024 rivals — or successors — were careful to read the mood of the conference. They made sure to offer their support for Trump administration policies and avoid signaling too much ambition, for fear of alienating Trump’s base — or drawing the former president’s wrath. DeSantis notably did not mention Trump’s name in his speech.

“I think everyone in this room wants Trump to run again,” said George Santos, a New York Republican congressional candidate. “I believe Trump should get in if that’s what he wants to do, then if he doesn’t, it’s a free for all.”

Some notable presidential hopefuls didn’t even make an appearance — among them, former US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley and former Vice President Mike Pence. Neither were invited, per Matt Schlapp, the chair of the American Conservative Union that puts on CPAC each year.

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It’s unclear if either politician, both former CPAC headliners who fell out of favor with Trump, would have met an entirely friendly crowd in Orlando.

“I grew up in Bamberg, South Carolina, around the corner from Nikki Haley, and I always thought she would be a natural to replace Trump,” said Will Bradley, a pilot from Nevada. “But when she failed to show loyalty to Trump after Jan. 6, that ruined it for her. And for me, who grew up with her and even served [in the military] with her brother.”

Sensitivities surrounding 2024 even colored discussions surrounding the event’s annual straw poll. There was hand-wringing among Trump allies over the possibility that the outcome could be skewed toward DeSantis, since the convention is being held in Florida.

Those concerns were amplified by a new poll that showed 44 percent of Florida Republicans supported DeSantis in a presidential primary, compared to 41 percent who back Trump.

While there was a smattering of Trump-DeSantis 2024 paraphernalia at the convention, there was much speculation about their possibly strained relationship. In an interview, Schlapp made sure to note — unprompted — that DeSantis wasn’t assigned an early Thursday speaking time because it was a bad time slot, days away from the straw poll.

“Let me make this very clear, Ron DeSantis spoke early because he is the governor of Florida. And we thought it made sense for him to welcome everyone to his state of him, ”Schlapp said. “We thought it was a great time, but then some people said it seemed like a bad time. Oh absolutely not. It’s the time we thought was a great time.”

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Of the 19 Republicans on this year’s CPAC straw poll ballot, viewed as an unscientific measure of who’s most popular among conference attendees, seven — Trump, Pompeo, Florida Sen. Rick ScottHawley, Cruz, DeSantis and Noem — spoke in Orlando.

“I don’t know if [the straw poll] would be skewed. I think it will be a straight-up poll. I do think people think in Florida [DeSantis’] doing a great job,” Schlapp said.

Some attendees thought it might be a good thing if DeSantis delivered a strong performance in the straw poll.

“I want Trump to run again and I want him to win in 2024 but he needs a competitive primary. He needs to make America fall in love with him again,” said Lintaro Donovan, a college student and the digital editor for the Dartmouth Review.

If Trump doesn’t run, Schlapp suggested the next nominee might even be someone who’s not on his straw poll list.

“So that’s the fun part of all of this — OK, if Donald Trump doesn’t run, who’s out there?” Schlapp said. “DeSantis for sure, Ted Cruz for sure, Josh Hawley. You know, everyone loves Jim Jordan here. … I wouldn’t be surprised if national politics gets to be run by people who are just well-known personalities, and not national politicians. Trump might have started a trend.”


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