Trump boosters, Biden attacks – and a Liz Truss speech: What to expect at Republicans’ CPAC event this week

Donald Trump will take centre stage, as will his veepstakes, plus plenty of international characters. Eric Garcia reports ahead of the annual conservative gathering

Once again, a throng of conservative activists, Republican elected officials and young right-wingers will descend on National Harbor just outside of Washington, DC for the annual Conservative Political Action Conference.

CPAC has served multiple purposes throughout the years. It often showcases new conservative talent, sets the tone for what major policies conservatives will champion in the next election and often allows potential candidates for president to test the waters. Indeed, in 2011, Donald Trump gave his first political speech at the conservative gathering. It debuted his conservative star turn and laid the groundwork for him becoming the Republican nominee for president in 2016 and winning the presidency.

This year, though, with Mr Trump being the presumptive nominee, CPAC – which runs from Wednesday to Saturday – will have a different tone and will serve as a booster for his campaign against Joe Biden in the general election.

Here’s what to expect this week at CPAC.

All Trump all the time

Since Mr Trump spoke at the conference in 2011, he and CPAC have become inseparable. Its host Matt Schlapp and his wife Mercedes, who served in Trump’s administration, became two of his most indefatigable defenders. In a reflection of how non-competitive the Republican presidential primary is, it will not feature other presidential candidates, as was the case when former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley spoke at the conference last year shortly after she announced her candidacy. Vivek Ramaswamy gave a barn-burner speech that previewed his campaign as a right-wing gadfly.

This time around, there will be a heavy focus on Donald Trump, with sessions titled “Trump: Our Ace in the Hole” and House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan’s panel entitled “What You Talkin Bout Fani Willis,” a dig at the Fulton County District Attorney who has investigated Mr Trump for his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election in Georgia. In fact, one panel will be entitled “Cat Fight? Michelle vs. Kamala,” as if to pit two female hate figures for the right against each other.

Similarly, former Trump administration officials including counselor Steve Bannon, former deputy assistant Sebastian Gorka and former deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley and former secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson will speak.

The Apprentice Audition

With Mr Trump’s nomination a foregone conclusion, the real spectacle will be the slate of speakers who want to be his running mate. Representative Elise Stefanik, the formerly moderate New York Republican who is Mr Trump’s woman inside House Republican leadership, will speak on Friday, as well South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem. Ohio Senator JD Vance, the white-working-class-explainer-turned-Trump-critic-turned-apologist, will also make an appearance on Friday. But absent from the slate as of right now are Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Senator Tim Scott, the South Carolina Republican and former presidential candidate.

Similarly, Jim McLaughlin, who typically runs the CPAC Straw poll, will reveal who movement conservatives want to be the running mate for Mr Trump. Last year, failed Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake won the staw poll. But given that she is now running for Senate in what’s expected to be a knockout race with Democratic Representative Ruben Gallego and Senator Kyrsten Sinema if she runs, she is likely out of the running.

Battling on the border and Bidenomics

Many polls show Mr Trump leading Mr Biden ahead of November. But Mr Trump remains incredibly unpopular with general election voters. That means they will need to find a winning message. Judging by the agenda, the battle plan seems fairly clear: hit Mr Biden on immigration and the economy.

The first day will feature a panel entitled “Trump's Wall Vs. Biden's Gaps” that will feature Tom Homan, who served as the director of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement during the Trump administration, and House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green, who last week announced he was leaving Congress after the House successfully impeached Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

In the same token, there will be panels entitled “Bidenomics: Bad for America's Health,” with some of Mr Trump’s former economic advisers.

Of course, there are some holes in this. While Americans still feel lousy about the economy, their sentiments are slightly changing and unlike in 2012, unemployment remains low. In the same token, while inflation is still ticking upward, prices are not rising as rapidly as they did in 2022. Similarly, the special election in New York’s 3rd district showed Republicans paid a price after Mr Trump and House Republicans blew up the bipartisan agreement that would have swapped restrictions for aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. This might also be why plenty of the events focusing on combating antisemitism might ring hollow as well

CPAC goes global

CPAC has also not only become a showcase for Republicans wanting to boast about their conservative credentials. In recent years, it’s become a showcase for other right-wing politicians who might not find as receptive of an audience in their own home countries or as a way to show that American-style conservatism can win abroad. In this vein, Nayib Bukele, the president of El Salvador, will speak as well as the controversial newly-elected Argentinian President, Javier Millei.

In the same vein Nigel Farage, a champion of Brexit and a mainstay of CPAC, will also speak. But more peculiarly, Liz Truss, the former British prime minister whose tenure lasted only 50 days, will appear as part of her larger effort to reach out to American conservatives and rehabilitate her image.