ORLANDO, Fla. — Florida will host a gathering of top conservatives this weekend when Conservative Political Action Conference 2021 "America Uncanceled" comes to Orlando.
Watch live here:
The annual event is said to serve as an unabashed endorsement of former President Donald Trump's desire to remain the leader of the Republican Party — and as a forum to fan his false claim that he lost the November election only because of widespread voter fraud.
Matt Schlapp, chairman of the Conservative Political Action Conference and a Trump ally, said discussion panels on election integrity would highlight “huge” evidence of illegal voting in Georgia, Nevada and elsewhere that ultimately swung the election for Democrat Joe Biden.
Such baseless claims fueled the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol and have been repeatedly dismissed by the courts, the Trump administration's leading security officials and senior Republicans in Congress, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.
The conference marks the first significant gathering of Republicans since the election and its aftermath. Conference organizers, representing the first camp, did not invite any of the 17 Republican members of Congress who voted to support Trump’s second impeachment or any major Trump critics.
McConnell, a regular at the annual conference, will not be on the program after publicly chastising Trump for inciting last month’s deadly insurrection at the Capitol.
So, what happens at CPAC and how does it work? We're breaking it down.
When is CPAC?
The event starts on Thursday, Feb. 25 with a Jewish Prayer Service, International Reception and Welcome Reception.
But the main events begin the morning of Friday, Feb. 26 and wrap up on the evening of Sunday, Feb. 28.
Former President Donald Trump will close out the conference with a speech at 3:40 p.m. It will mark his first post-White House appearance.
Where is CPAC?
The Hyatt Regency in Orlando, Florida is the landing site for this year's events. Attendee registration has closed, but the event's website shows 10 of the 13 registration options are sold out ahead of this weekend.
What's the event schedule and can I still watch?
The event schedule is rigorous with more than 100 named speakers over the weekend. CPAC has broken down each day's offerings here.
Yes, the event will be live-streamed on the CPAC's website. There are several options to choose from.
Who is speaking at CPAC?
The most notable name on the conservative-based event is former President Donald Trump who will close out the weekend.
Here are some other notable names:
- Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
- Former HUD Secretary Ben Carson
- Former Trump Deputy National Security Advisor KT McFarland
- Former White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders
- Actor Jon Voight
- Kimberly Guilfoyle
- Donald Trump Jr.
- Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi (Florida)
- Sen. Ted Cruz
- Sen. Josh Hawley
There is also a large presence from the Sunshine State with 10 speakers:
- Gov. Ron DeSantis
- Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez
- Attorney General Ashley Moody
- Sen. Marco Rubio
- Sen. Rick Scott
- Rep. Kat Cammack
- Rep. Byron Donalds
- Rep. Matt Gaetz
- Rep. Greg Steube
- Rep. Fiona McFarland
You can read the full list of speakers here.
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