The guard

“The grassroots are firmly behind him”: Trumpism is expected to flourish in the CPAC

Allies of the former president – and Trump himself – stand at the annual meeting, suggesting that losing his election will not affect his dominance. Donald Trump speaks at the CPAC in Maryland on February 29, 2020. Photo: Jacquelyn Martin / AP Ronald Solomon spent five days making the 2,300 mile drive from Las Vegas, Nevada, to Orlando, Florida, where he found about 75 different hat designs, 15 flag types, 10 t-shirt designs, and a range of eight face masks will sell. Solomon is the president of Maga Mall, a retailer of Donald Trump and the goods “Make America great again”. Unimpressed by the electoral defeat and the shame of the former president in 2020, he expects brisk business when the largest annual grass-roots Conservative meeting opens on Thursday. “I speak to state and county Republican party leaders in the United States, and the grassroots are firmly behind Trump,” said the 61-year-old on the phone as he drove through Louisiana. “Indeed, a movement is underway to get rid of what people call a Rino – just a Republican in the name.” Solomon, whose mask section includes “God, Guns and Trump” and “Trump 2024”, will set up his stand at the four-day Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Orlando. The event has always been an effective way to get the pulse of the Republican Party and the broader Conservative movement. In 2016, Trump, who attacked the Republican establishment in a nasty US presidential campaign, canceled a planned performance for fear of boos and protests. However, a year later, after defeating Hillary Clinton, he was greeted as a victorious hero. CPAC became an annual maga jamboree, a less conservative political business than the Trumpian personality cult in action. The line-up at CPAC 2021 – moved from Maryland to Florida because of coronavirus security restrictions – suggests that Trump’s dominance remains completely undiminished by the loss of the White House and the setbacks by Republicans in Congress. Speakers include his allies such as Mike Pompeo, the former Secretary of State; Ben Carson, the former housing secretary; Sarah Sanders, a former White House press secretary; Kristi Noem, the governor of South Dakota; Pete Hegseth, a presenter for Fox News; Jon Voight, a passionate pro-Trump actor; and Donald Trump Jr., son of the 45th President. There are also slots for Senate Republicans including Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, Cynthia Lummis, and Rick Scott, and House Republicans like Kevin McCarthy, Mo Brooks, Madison Cawthorn, Matt Gaetz, and Jim Jordan, who all voted for Joe Bidens To question victory. The “big lie” of a stolen election is expected to thrive at CPAC. This is not least due to the fact that the conference will culminate on Sunday with Trump himself. In his first post-president speech, he is expected to promise to support the Maga candidates in next year’s midterm elections, condemn Biden’s reversal of his immigration policy, and reserve special poison for his enemies within the Republican Party. A person takes a picture as Donald Trump speaks during CPAC in Maryland on Feb.29, 2020. Photo: Erik S. Lesser / EPA Matt Schlapp, chairman of the American Conservative Union, host of the CPAC, told Reuters: “Donald Trump is going to stay in the game and be involved in primaries, and he will think he will speak hold, and it brings chills down the spine for established Republicans. They are very concerned that he will continue to have an impact. My advice to them is to get used to it. “Among the topics of the conversation will be a poll of participants on their preferences for the 2024 Republican nomination. Given the section of the party that now rules CPAC, there is little doubt that Trump will emerge victorious. Tim Miller, former Republican Voters Against Trump Political Director, said: “He will speak right after the 2024 straw poll, which is likely to give him a landslide victory, and I think it is set up for him to speak in a way which it wants to signal that he sees himself as a party leader, a front runner for 2024. He will attack those who have asked him about this. “I am sure that he will be received largely positively by the crowd in these appeals. The Republicans do this to themselves. You had the opportunity to share in his heart [at this month’s impeachment trial];; You didn’t take it and he’s in charge of the party now. It has the support of a large if not a majority of voters within the party. There is no really organized wing to challenge it. “Just as insightful as whoever is at CPAC is whoever isn’t. Former Vice President Mike Pence, who was apparently left by Trump on Jan. 6 when a violent mob approached the U.S. Capitol, declined an invitation. Nikki Haley, an ex-ambassador to the United Nations who harshly criticized the president’s role in the uprising but reportedly tried and failed to heal the rift, will also not be present. Another absentee will be Mitch McConnell, the Senate minority leader who acquitted Trump of impeachment but then gutted him for inciting a deadly insurrection. However, if McConnell’s intent was to point the party’s path to a post-Trump future, few analysts believe he will succeed. Miller, author on the Bulwark website and former communications director for Jeb Bush’s 2016 campaign, commented, “On the actual campaign battlefield, there is no McConnell wing, there are no candidates who say Trump shouldn’t have pushed the big lie. Apart from Lisa Murkowski, there will be no candidates for the Senate [of Alaska] We should say goodbye to Donald Trump and he is involved in the coup, and there is a shameful moment in our history. The Republican candidates are all for Trump. “Republicans who voted to indict or convict Trump have been censored and slandered by their home states. Solomon, the Trump merchandise seller, recently attended a rally in Wyoming calling on local Congresswoman Liz Cheney to resign. He said, “McConnell has just been re-elected. If McConnell had been 22, there was no way he would have said what he said because there was no way he was going to win. Right now a Kentucky cat was going to win a primary against McConnell. “Right now, a Kentucky cat would win a primary against McConnell Ronald Solomon. A CNN poll last month found that three in four Republicans believe Biden did not legitimately win the presidential election, despite state officials and courts failing to find significant evidence to support Trump’s electoral fraud claims. The conspiracy theorists are expected to take effect at CPAC. Tamara Leigh, a former CPAC participant who protested in Washington on Jan. 6 but was a block or two from the U.S. Capitol when it was stormed, said she felt “100%” sure the election was stolen has been. She cited conversations with Patrick Byrne, a former CEO of Overstock.com, and a film produced by Mike Lindell, the CEO of MyPillow (both men’s claims have been largely debunked). Leigh, who is in her mid-50s and works in communications, added, “If Trump runs in 2024, I would definitely support him and I think his base will follow. Its base is the Republican Party. The 78 million Trump voters [the true figure was 74 million] are still standing with our president and I think the majority are determined to keep fighting harder. The support will be with him, not the GOP. “Last year’s CPAC at National Harbor, Maryland had the slogan“ America versus Socialism, ”a message that fell flat against moderate Democrat Biden. The event feared when it was found that a participant was infected with the coronavirus. People listen as Mike Pence speaks at CPAC on Feb.27, 2020. Photo: Joshua Roberts / Reuters This year’s organizers insist that masks be worn, although many of the speakers were particularly reluctant to do so for months. Brandon Morris, an Orlando nurse who attended CPAC two years ago, said, “This is Florida. I don’t know if you saw the Super Bowl? When I was in New York everyone wore masks, but in Florida it’s just a cultural difference. Some people will wear masks, others probably won’t wear masks. “This year’s theme is America Uncanceled, a reference to the current conservative sport of accusing liberals of applying“ cancel culture ”to those whose views they disagree. But it’s a slogan that the Maga crowd could turn to McConnell, Cheney, and other dissidents who won’t be near Orlando themselves. Henry Olsen, a senior fellow at the think tank of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, said, “What will happen in the next year or so is a question of how people who would prefer President Trump fail to position the leading voice for the Republican Party yourself. There will be many different views and many different attempts. “McConnell is clearly someone who will defend all sitting Senators and who clarified his views on Trump’s actions on January 6th. But McConnell isn’t someone who plays from the front. He likes to play from behind, so I don’t expect it to be a McConnell-versus-Trump show. It may be beneficial for Trump to try, but it is not in McConnell’s best interest to take the bait. “