(NewsNation) — Former President Donald Trump is set to speak at this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference, also known as CPAC, an event that calls itself the largest gathering of conservatives in the world.
While other prominent conservatives will join him, Trump’s appearance is notable as he is currently the front-runner to be the GOP presidential candidate in this year’s general election.
CPAC has already endorsed Trump in the race.
Others speaking at CPAC include biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who ended his own bid for the presidency earlier this year and chose to support his previous rival, Trump.
Elected GOP officials such as Rep. Jim Jordan and Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Rep. Mark Green of Tennessee are expected to speak as well along with conservative commentators Steve Bannon, Mark Levin and Michael Knowles.
Some speakers are coming from out of the country: Argentina President Javier Milei, elected last November, and British Member of Parliament Liz Truss.
Milei, a self-described anarcho-capitalist, has been compared to Trump, as both also allege possible electoral fraud, though without any evidence. In his victory speech, Milei vowed to slash the size of the government, dollarize the economy and eliminate the Central Bank of Argentina.
Truss, on the other hand, had a brief run as prime minister in 2022, although she resigned after just 45 days in office. The Associated Press described her term as “tumultuous” and “marred by economic policies that roiled financial markets.”
CPAC Straw Poll
The New York Times reports that for the first time in at least a decade, CPAC will have a straw poll that will include the question of who should be the vice president nominee.
While it includes names that have already been scrutinized, like those of Stefanik and Vance, it also has some “unconventional” choices, according to a list shared with the NYT.
These include Robert F. Kennedy Jr., even though he is running as an independent, and former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, who once ran for the Democratic presidential nomination before also becoming an independent.
Also being floated as a vice presidential pick in the straw poll are former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who is Trump’s primary challenger, as well as his former opponents Ramaswamy, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
