(Washington Examiner) An entourage of conservative darlings, Republican stars, and grassroots conservatives gathered at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, D.C., this week, providing a gauge of the GOP base’s mindset as the 2024 battle kicks into gear.
Former President Donald Trump‘s preeminence over the confab was on full display as other 2024 hopefuls failed to gain traction at the event while CPAC-goers made clear their thirst for a more combative style of politics.
Former President Donald Trump speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC 2023, Saturday, March 4, 2023, at National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Alex Brandon/AP
Here are five key takeaways from the annual confab.
Trump reigns as CPAC King
Questions about what hold former President Donald Trump still has on the conservative movement were answered at CPAC as MAGA apparel-wearing grassroots conservatives took the conference by storm.
Attendees overwhelmingly favored Trump over any of his potential rivals, including Former Gov. Ron DeSantis. This was evident in dozens of interviews conducted by the Washington Examiner and the CPAC straw poll that pegged Trump as the clear-cut CPAC favorite. He locked down 62% support to DeSantis’s 20%.
Such a win was not always the case for Trump, who first attended CPAC in 2011. However, he has won almost every CPAC straw poll conducted in the time since winning the presidency.
Many top potential 2024 aspirants, such as DeSantis, skipped CPAC, which ensured that a MAGA love-fest would ensue.
CPAC’s pull loses strength
CPAC may have been Trump’s domain, but the conference was dogged by lower attendance and high-profile sponsorships relative to past conferences. The growing divide between the conservative movement and the Republican Party was on full display this year.
“I think there’s a bit of a division in the party, and I think the party needs to get its act together. We’ve got a country to save,” Chairman Bruce Cherry of the Seminole County, Florida, Republican Executive Committee told the Washington Examiner. He contended that the 2023 CPAC was smaller than the other two he attended.
Almost no one from the congressional Republican leadership besides House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY) showed up to the event. In years past, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) attended, as did DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), all of whom skipped out this year.
CPAC was dogged by controversy ahead of this year’s event return to the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center just outside of Washington, D.C., for the first time since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. One of its organizers, Matt Schlapp, was accused of sexual misconduct, allegations that he denies.
Moderate and more traditionalist conservatives have complained that the confab has devolved into a Trump cult and lurched too far to the right.
Transgenderism takes center stage
During the revolving panels and speakers that took the stage at the Potomac Ballroom, transgenderism quickly emerged as a frequent political talking point. Politicians and pundits roundly criticized the transgender movement and harped on the perceived unfairness of transgender females competing against biological females in sports contests.
“There can be no middle way in dealing with transgenderism,” conservative pundit Michael Knowles proclaimed during his speech. “Transgenderism must be eradicated from public life entirely.”
Other conservative causes in immigration, tax policy, the economy, foreign policy, crime, woke culture, and more were also broached during the summit.
2024 alternatives falter
Republicans seeking to usurp Trump in the 2024 primary largely fell flat at CPAC. Attendees may have cheered for Haley, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during their speeches, but Trump was the clear favorite.
Primary challengers, including Haley, Ramaswamy, and Pompeo, drew sparse audiences relative to the former president and failed to produce the same caliber energy he did during his fiery keynote address. Republican candidate Nikki Haley was heckled after her address by fans who shouted, “we love Trump.”
Speculated hopefuls such as DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) skipped the event and avoided a split-screen showdown with Trump, further illustrating Trump’s dominance.
