By: Fern Sidman
Tens of thousands of charged up political conservatives, right-wingers, Trump supporters and true American patriots will be convening near the nations’ capital for the scintillating annual conference that has evolved into the premiere political event of the year. Each year at the end of February, the American Conservative Union presents their policy forum known as the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).
The conference was founded in 1974 by the American Conservative Union and Young Americans for Freedom as a small gathering of dedicated conservatives. Ronald Reagan gave the inaugural keynote speech at CPAC in 1974. Like the conference’s speakers today, the presidential hopeful used it to share his vision for the country—”A Shining City Upon A Hill,” words borrowed from John Winthrop.
Over the years CPAC has drawn the top tier Conservative speakers from across the nation and the world. Held at the Gaylord National Hotel in National Harbor, Maryland, the CPAC event always creates the kind of palpable excitement and sizzling enthusiasm for Conservative principles that our democracy is predicated on. A love for G-d, family, community, flag and country prevails throughout the four-day conference.
Before he was elected to become America’s 45th president, Donald J Trump initially addressed the CPAC confab in 2011. According to a Wikipedia entry on the history of CPAC, a conservative gay rights group known as GoProud is credited in the media for initiating talks with the ACU to invite Donald Trump to speak at CPAC 2011.The 2011 CPAC speech Trump gave is credited for helping kick-start his political career within the Republican party. Christopher R. Barron, co-founder of GOProud who would later not only endorse Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, but also launch LGBT for Trump, said he “would love to see Mr. Trump run for president.”
CPAC chairman Matt Schlapp has become an increasingly powerful force in the conservative movement as he personally welcomed Trump to the convention in 2011. Since 2017, the Gaylord Resort during these four days morphs into “Trump Country” where attendees proudly don their “Make America Great Again Hats” without fear of retribution or scorn from rabid liberal-leftists.
The 2015 CPAC featured Jamila Bey who became the first atheist activist to address CPAC’s annual meeting. The 2016 CPAC featured co-sponsorship for the first time from the Log Cabin Republicans.
At last year’s CPAC conference, President Trump began his address by lovingly hugging the American flag as the crowd cheered and waved their “Make America Great Again” hats. Trump spoke mostly extemporaneously with few notes during the two-hour speech and had the crowd on its feet as his comedic repertoire left attendees howling and clapping time and time again.
His speech was intensely captivating and inspiring as he spoke of fulfilling his policy agenda by completing the building of the southern border wall and defeating the Democrats in 2020. Trump righteously derided the Mueller probe that had dogged the first half of his presidency. He vented against the Socialist wing of the Democrat party which is led by Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders (I); saying they should not be mistakenly referred to as the Democratic party while acknowledging that this shift to the left would ensure a clear re-election victory. Trump said he would speak “off script” admitting that’s how he had gotten elected.
There was a palpable excitement in the massive room which had a standing room crowd as attendees patiently waited for the star of the conference, Donald Trump, to regale the crowd with his outsized personality and irreverent wit-and he certainly delivered.
This year’s action-packed schedule of informative seminars and panel discussions will include such speakers and prominent personalities as Matt Schlapp, the head of the American Conservative Union, his wife Mercedes Schlapp of Donald J. Trump for President, Inc, Carter Page of Global Natural Gas Ventures, LLC, former US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, Sen. Marsha Blackburn, Sen. Joni Ernst, Rep. Doug Collins, Rep. John Ratcliffe (TX-4), Rep. Steve Scalise, Amb. David Friedman, U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Jerusalem Post columnist Caroline Glick, Rep Louie Gohmert, Sen Ted Cruz, Senior Advisor to President Trump, Kellyanne Conway, Secretary Betsy DeVos, Rep. Matt Gaetz (FL-1), Acting Chief of Staff, Mick Mulvaney, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-5), Rep Mark Meadows and Debbie Meadows, Diamond and Silk from Fox Nation and many others.
The featured speaker for Wednesday evening will be Vice President Mike Pence. Others who will appear on Wednesday will include: Trump campaign spokeswoman Katrina Pierson, Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, Trump campaign National Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany, and Trump campaign Communications Director Tim Murtaugh.
Speakers who are scheduled to address CPAC attendees on Thursday include Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, Former White House deputy national security adviser K.T. McFarland, Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., Rep. Roger Williams, R-Texas, and Rep. John Ratcliffe, R-Texas.
The speakers on Friday include Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., Matthew Whitaker, former acting U.S. attorney general, Brad Parscale, Lara Trump, Kimberly Guilfoyle, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, Labor Department Secretary Eugene Scalia, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., Donald Trump Jr., EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler, White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council Executive Director Scott Turner, Acting Director of National Intelligence, U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell, Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., DHS Deputy Secretary Ken Cuccinelli, Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., Former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif., Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa, Ivanka Trump, White House National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow, Nigel Farage, leader of the Brexit Party, Rep. Brian Babin, R-Texas, Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Ala. and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
On Saturday, the speakers will include former White House adviser Sebastian Gorka, White House Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought, Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, Rep. Jody Hice, R-Ga., Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie, Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar. The special guest speaker on Saturday night will be President Trump.
In addition, CPAC Central, redesigned for CPAC 2020, is the main space for attendees to interact directly with exhibitors, sponsors, and special guests. It is a highly-interactive area made to build excitement and maximize opportunities for sponsors and attendees as they meet other conservatives from around the USA and the world.
CPAC Central features space for exhibition booths, broadcast interviews, interactive town halls, meet-and-greets with candidates, authors and media personalities. Merchandise sales, including space for book signings also take place in CPAC Central.
AP reported that on Tuesday President Trump suggested that Democrats who don’t want Bernie Sanders to win their party’s presidential nomination tried to hurt the senator’s chances by leaking information about Russian activities promoting his campaign.
“Bernie is probably winning — looks like he’s winning and he’s got a head of steam,” Trump said during a news conference near the end of his two-day visit to India. “And they maybe don’t want him for obvious reasons. … So they put out a thing that Russia is backing him.”
Trump accused California Rep. Adam Schiff, the Democratic chairman of the House intelligence committee, of leaking the information to the media.
Sanders has confirmed that U.S. officials told him last month about Russian efforts to boost his chances to challenge Trump in November.
Trump said he thought it was “strange” that U.S. officials told Sanders but nobody told him.
“It’s highly exaggerated. I think it’s disgraceful. I think it was leaks from the intel committee,” Trump said. “I think probably Schiff leaked it. He shouldn’t be leaking things like that.”
