Santiago Abascal, leader of Vox, speaks for the first time as a speaker at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). That gathering stands as the major annual forum for the American right, and like much of the conservative movement and the Republican Party, it has increasingly reflected the influence and near-total dominance of Donald Trump in recent years.
These are five key takeaways about the event, organized annually by the American Conservative Union, running from Wednesday through Saturday at a Maryland convention center near Washington, D.C.
After 50 years, Trump remains the king
With this edition, CPAC marks its 50th anniversary, a milestone embraced by Trump to the point that some observers jokingly refer to the gathering as TPAC, replacing “conservative” with “Trump.”
Although he skipped the 2016 edition, he has attended every year since 2017, when he began injecting nationalist populism into the proceedings. His influence has accelerated a shift within the conference, mirroring the broader évolvement of the Republican Party. Trump shapes the movement, exerts influence over bodies like the Republican National Committee — whose leadership is being reshaped to reflect his preferences, including elevating his daughter-in-law, Lara, to a position of notable power — and sets the GOP’s policy agenda in Washington, as evidenced when he stalled a bipartisan immigration-reform bill and, incidentally, froze security aid to Ukraine.
That clout has sidelined more traditional and moderate voices within the conservative ranks and the party. Last year, Grover Norquist, a longtime conservative strategist whose anti-tax coalition sways many on the right, argued that the conference had ceased to be a useful part of the movement.
This year, several anti-Trump figures planned a parallel event in Washington titled: “Principles First.”
Culture wars
The speaker lineup reads like a who’s who of the far-right and staunch Trump allies, featuring voices such as strategist Steve Bannon and members of Congress Jim Jordan and Matt Gaetz.
The agenda and panel topics offer a clear snapshot of Trumpism’s political priorities at a moment when the presidential race is approaching, with Trump widely favored to win the Republican nomination and to face Joe Biden on November 5th.
Everything carries the energy of an “America First” philosophy, with a heavy emphasis on culture-war issues that shape the campaign trail. One session asked, for example, whether Moses would have attended Harvard, while another mocked a hypothetical clash between Michelle Obama and Kamala Harris in a tongue-in-cheek style.
Focus on the vice presidency
After the keynote address, traditionally delivered by Trump on Saturday, a survey of attendees is conducted. This year, for the first time in years, the spotlight shifts to who might join the ticket as vice president alongside the presumed nominee, with Nikki Haley still in the running though not yet certain to secure the spot.
The poll presents 17 names, including several speakers who are frequently mentioned as possible running mates for Trump. Names listed include South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, New York Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, Senator JD Vance, and entrepreneur and former presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy. The list also contemplates figures such as Dr. Ben Carson, journalist Tucker Carlson, and Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, along with two former Democrats now independent: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard, who has run as a Democrat and as an independent.
Abascal
Although Abascal had attended CPAC as a spectator in the past, this marks his debut as an on-stage speaker. His appearance is scheduled for Friday evening, around 8:30 to 8:50 p.m. local time, with the Spanish time difference noted for listeners in Spain and elsewhere as needed.
The Spaniard’s session sits between a discussion with Gaetz and a talk by Nigel Farage, the right-wing figure who played a pivotal role in advocating Brexit and remains a familiar guest at CPAC.
Abascal is one of the few international voices featured in this edition, which has previously hosted global right-wing icons such as Viktor Orbán, Jair Bolsonaro, and Georgia Meloni in years past.
In those past appearances, the conference welcomed leaders from around the world, including El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele, Argentina’s Javier Milei, and the United Kingdom’s Liz Truss.
It remains unclear whether Abascal will have a direct meeting with Trump, who in 2022 sent a video message to Vox’s annual festival offering his vocal support and suggesting a partnership with Spain.
Media access limited
A number of outlets, including The Washington Post and the progressive MSNBC network, were denied accreditation to cover CPAC this year, leaving them to attend as paying attendees with tickets starting at around $295.
“If the media spends nearly all of its time feeding anti-Trump rhetoric, they are not journalists,” said Matt Schlapp, who has led the American Conservative Union for more than a decade and remains in charge despite an incident involving a political aide who accused him of inappropriate touching.