The annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) made one thing especially clear this week: This is former President Trump’s convention.
“I’m not at CPAC. I’m at TPAC,” said John Fredericks, a conservative radio show host who served as the chairman in Virginia for Trump’s 2016 and 2020 campaigns.
“CPAC is long gone. The Trump forces, the America First movement and the populist movement, of which I’m a key member of and a protectionist, has hijacked CPAC. We own this convention.”
CPAC has long been a major event for conservatives of all stripes to gather and mingle with some of the most popular figures in the Republican Party. But this year’s event has underscored two realities: One, that the annual conference is drawing thinner crowds than it has in the past, as the auditorium where the major speeches were held were often half-full; and two, that most in attendance weren’t particularly interested in seeing party luminaries besides the 45th president.
Over the past few days, visitors and speakers alike have made clear their support for the former president, whether it was in the trademark red “Make America Great Again” hats and other pro-Trump attire seen among the crowds, or in the overwhelming presence of some of the former president’s biggest allies.
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Trump reigns supreme at a diminished CPAC https://t.co/ihpSPkWUhM pic.twitter.com/Xvwnz1X7s0
— The Hill (@thehill) March 4, 2023
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