Once, a powerhouse convention in the conservative world, it’s now just a backwater.

Arthur Schaper | April 11, 2026

CPAC 2026 came and went...and most of the conservative grassroots hardly noticed it.

President Trump, VP Vance, and the rest of the MAGA Cabinet didn’t bother attending either.

It’s not just that they were busy with other things: Iran, economic development, border security, etc. If anything, Trump would have had all the more reason to attend the conference to talk up his victories.

CPAC is on life support. If the conference has any life left in it at all, it is fading fast.

Hardly anyone showed up. Aside from the usual suspects—Steve Bannon, Jack Posobiec, Mike Lindell, and the podcasters and influencers who live to stir up strife, complain about Israel, and shout “America First!” all while denouncing Trump for his aggressive efforts to take out a nuclear Iran once and for all—it was a pretty empty affair.

There were two bright spots. The son of the Shah, Reza Pahlavi, spoke to the largest crowd and received the warmest welcome and praise. Think about that: a foreign dignitary got more kudos than American pundits and politicians. Conservative Josh Hammer brought a reality check to the conservative movement, building on Ben Shapiro’s necessary corrective at TPUSA’s 2025 AmFest. Hammer might have done better for himself by just skipping the event, but it was nice to hear him slam the “Retard Right” one last time.

The Trump-Trump-Trump, MAGA-MAGA-MAGA schtick has gotten old. CPAC has turned into the ultimate MAGA grift, and now that Trump is termed out in his second term, the momentum has worn off.

But more lies beneath the surface as to why CPAC is now done for.

A friend of mine, an independent journalist from Massachusetts, attended the event a few years back to record the speeches and meet with activists. One of the media entities in attendance was the Southern Poverty Law........

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