Matt Schlapp, chairman of the American Conservative Union and an adviser to the Trump campaign, said that the president of the American Conservative Union is a member of the Trump campaign. Matt Schlapp, chairman of the American Conservative Union and adviser to the Trump campaign.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump has been invited to speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Florida next week. But it’s not clear if he has accepted the invitation.
Matt Schlapp, president of the American Conservative Union, helped organize the conference. He said he extended the invitation to Trump himself.
“I would love to see him come to the Conservative Political Action Conference,” Schlapp told the Washington Examiner.
An official with knowledge of the situation told that Trump was invited last year.
In his speech at the 2020 convention, Trump told attendees, “God bless you! God bless America! I’ll see you next year.”
The official revealed that conference planners do not currently know if Trump plans to attend. The official added: “We’re in a sort of wait-and-see moment.”
Trump’s team did not return a request for comment.
Schlapp said he hoped Trump’s speech would materialize.
“I’ve always had a good relationship with him, we talk all the Time, and I hope we can pull it off,” he said. “I think he deserves to be heard. I think that even those who disagree with him would agree that he deserves to be heard. He doesn’t deserve to be silenced.”
A social media post promoting the conference showed a photo of Trump.
Senior conservative members regularly attend the conference, which will be held in Orlando. The conference location is also a departure from the traditional Washington conference scene.
In a previous tweet, the Conservative Political Action Conference said, “We are replacing the Washington blockade with sunshine and freedom.” Schlapp said via Twitter that the conference “will be where conservatives plot, plan and unite to defeat socialism in America.”
Scheduled speakers include a number of officials from the Trump-era administration, including former Housing Secretary Ben Carson, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
Trump allies such as South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former acting national security adviser Richard Grenell will also speak.
Lawmakers scheduled to attend the conference include Missouri Republican Senator Josh Hawley, Oklahoma Republican Senator James Lankford, North Carolina Republican Congressman Ted Budd, Alabama Republican Congressman Mo Brooks (R-Ala.).
The Conservative Political Action Conference describes itself as the world’s largest and most influential gathering of conservatives.
Trump has kept a low profile since leaving the White House last month as the Senate has been considering whether to impeach and convict or acquit him on charges of sedition. Some lawmakers, mainly Democrats, believe Trump triggered the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. His defenders point to a speech that day in which Trump encouraged supporters to “peacefully and patriotically” go to the Capitol and speak out.
In the end, Trump was acquitted by the Senate, with 43 Republicans siding with him and seven Republicans joining the Democratic camp in voting against him.
Trump thanked the lawmakers for their vote to have him acquitted. Afterward, Trump criticized Senate Minority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky. McConnell delivered a harshly worded speech to Congress condemning Trump – the former president – and saying that Trump could be criminally convicted in addition to impeachment.
Trump said the Republican Party “will never be respected or strong again with a political ‘leader’ like Mitch McConnell at the helm.” And he said he would focus on supporting “key competitors who embrace Make America Great Again and our America First policies”.
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