In February 2017, I attended my first Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). Donald Trump was fresh off a stunning victory in the 2016 presidential election and it was very easy to tell he had all the energy, vim, and support of the attendees. What was less certain at the time was how Trump would govern and whether his control of the Republican Party would be a longstanding feature, or just some weird detour.
This weekend I attended CPAC again. This time, it was held outside of the Washington DC region for the first time in its 46-year history, in sunny, muggy Orlando, Fla. The change in venue was of course a result of the COVID lockdowns still imposed in the nation’s capital, but it felt like the switch ran deeper than that. Four years on, even in defeat, this is still Trump’s party and seems set to be for some time.
In some sense, though, Trump seemed to be less dominant than in recent CPACs. To be sure, the merchandise rooms and far more abundant sidewalk tables with hats, shirts, and flags to buy were dominated by his name and visage. But he was not the only star. Figures like former acting Director of National Intelligence Ric Grenell, Sen. Josh Hawley, and governors Ron DeSantis and Kristi Noem all had leading turns.
The issues and speeches also reflected Trump’s political philosophy, something many of his enemies still stubbornly refuse to admit even exists. The top theme was the fight against cancel culture, the new way to refer to political correctness long a target for the now-former president’s ire. But panels on the dangers of China also occurred, and so did a panel moderated by the New York Post’s Kelly Jane Torrance on how to defend the pro-life movement. Big tech was railed against. These are all Trump’s issues.
The media landscape was also different. For sure, there were familiar faces like Illinois-based radio host Michael Koolidge, and others of his ilk who prove the backbone of the conservative movement outside our nation’s once gleaming, now a bit run-down metropolises. In the air was the sense that with the recent loss of Rush Limbaugh their role in the fight was set only to get bigger.
There was something that almost felt like an apology from Fox News, which sent its Fox Nation division to the sunshine state en masse, hosting the opening reception and representing the biggest media footprint. The network understands that conservative frustration with how they handled the election and its aftermath opened the door to competitors like Newsmax and One America News. Both of the latter were well represented and one could feel just how ascendant their stars have become.