CPAC Speakers: GOP ‘Civil War’ Won by Trump

The speakers at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) believe former President Donald Trump is the leader of the conservative movement.

The media, though, has written about the Republican Party and the “deep divisions over the extent to which it should embrace Trump after losing the White House and both chambers of Congress.” A headline in the Los Angeles Times reads, “The GOP’s civil war is just beginning, and the fighting will get worse before it gets better.”

But the attendees at CPAC disagree. Nearly every noteworthy speaker has supported Trump’s presidency or outright praised his “American First” agenda.

“Donald J. Trump ain’t going anywhere,” said Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX).

Sen. Josh Hawley drew among the loudest applause and a standing ovation when he spoke about challenging the election certification on January sixth. “I thought it was an important stand to take,” he said.

“We cannot — we will not — go back to the days of the failed Republican establishment of yesteryear,” said Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who outlined a new Trumpian GOP agenda focused on immigration policies, opposition to China, and ending endless wars.

“We will not win the future by trying to go back to where the Republican Party used to be,” echoed Florida Sen. Rick Scott, who chairs the fundraising committee tasked with electing Republicans to the Senate. “If we do, we will lose the working base that President Trump so animated. We’re going to lose elections across the country, and ultimately we’re going to lose our nation.”

Former Secretary Mike Pompeo said, “I’m proud of our fight. And I’m proud of our accomplishments. We have truly upended the status quo,” Pompeo declared to a standing ovation.

Trump Jr., who labeled the conference “TPAC” in honor of his father, hyped the return of his father and the “Make America Great Again” platform to the spotlight.

“I imagine it will not be what we call a ‘low-energy’ speech,” he said. “And I assure you that it will solidify Donald Trump and all of your feelings about the MAGA movement as the future of the Republican Party.”

And as the program was wrapping up for the day on Friday, Trump issued a statement endorsing Max Miller, a former staffer who has now launched a campaign challenging Rep. Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH), another Republican who voted in favor of impeachment.

In a statement, Trump vowed to recruit insurgent candidates “who espouse Making America Great Again and our policy of America first.

Trump seems focused on the movement he began, lording the America First agenda into battle against the “business as usual” crowd in Washington, DC. With $31 million on hand, bankrolled by his leadership PAC, Save America, Trump’s coffers will strategically be invested.