National Harbor, Maryland – President Trump won the victory lap at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) this week after winning the general election in November.
The annual event featured an array of Trump's most vocal supporters, including Vice President Vance, Border Emperor Tom Homan and White House Press Secretary Caroline Lewitt.
The mood between the speaker and attendees was a celebration, but this year's gatherings seemed to be on a slightly diminished in terms of overall importance at the national level.
Here are five takeaways from CPAC 2025:
CPAC will be a complete magazine
Before Trump's advance into politics, the CPAC was considered a large tent gathering for all striped conservatives. The annual event was an opportunity for various types of conservatives and Republicans to promote their vision in front of the grassroots.
Furthermore, the rally was an opportunity for emerging Republican talent to showcase the grassroots.
But during the Trump era, he is a clear star of CPAC. There is virtually no room for the president to stubbornly criticize him among the Protoulump crowd. Most speakers, both American and foreign, emphasized to praise the president and his conservative populist agenda.
The CPAC Straw Poll highlighted that fact, showing Trump saying he was “strongly approved” with a 99% approval rate among 1,022 participants.
Trump wins the winning lap after making the first month of chaotic
In addition to celebrating the election victory, CPAC was also a victory lap, following the first month of Trump's whirlwind.
Musk discussed the government's move to cut the size and scope of the federal government at a fierce speed, but Vance focused on his speech at a security conference in Munich last week, and European leaders said. has led to his criticism.
Various Odes for Trump's first inauguration month were on display throughout the meeting. Among them was a package with the “American Gulf” written on it. Many speakers criticized the Associated Press for its policy that the Associated Press chose to call Stylebook's “Gulf of Mexico.”
News that the outlet had sued the administration during CPAC on Friday. White House press secretary Caroline, who was named the defendant in the lawsuit, said she learned of the lawsuit on stage on her way to the rally.
The Straw Voting found that 99% of participants said they believed Trump was doing even better work during his second administration.
Vance is cementing his popularity at the base
Vance, which many consider to be the face of the future of the Maga movement, received a warm reception at this year's CPAC.
The Vice President was an overwhelming favorite of Trump's successor in 2028, and received 61% support in the CPAC straw vote.
Vance was also the first speaker at this year's conference, and was booked in Trump's speech on Saturday. The Vice President participated in a friendly sit-in interview with Mercedes Schrup, Senior Fellow, CPAC.
The Vice President received praise from Schup and the audience at the Munich Security Conference last week.
The event says Trump is “too early” as Vance's automatic successor in less than a month in an interview with Fox News. However, Trump praised his vice president as “very competent.”
Musk is approaching stealing Trump's lightning
Trump was the biggest attraction of the rally, but attendees were uplifted to see Elon Musk speak at the first full-day event. Musk made the headline on the stage of the interview when he brought a chainsaw that was given to him by Argentine President Javier Mirei. The prop was intended to represent his efforts as head of the Government Efficiency Bureau (DOGE).
“This is a chainsaw for the bureaucracy,” shouted Musk from the stage.
The image quickly made headlines, spread rapidly on social media, and emerged as a Doge meme.
However, when Musk approached stealing Trump's lightning, it didn't seem to bother the president. Trump praised Musk on Saturday, calling his official title “Patriot.”
“Elon does a great job,” Trump told the crowd. “We love Elon, right? He's a character.”
Reduced events
When Trump spoke at National Harbor, a crowd of enthusiastic and wild supporters filled the ballroom, but the four-day gathering seemed more modest than in the past few years.
Smaller than usual crowds gathered during the meeting, including media lines. And overall, there appeared to be little media interest in the rally.
The predictability of pro-tramp collections could be a reason for an overall decline in interest. And there were some famous Trump administration figures in attendance, but it seemed that there were few well-known speakers from the conservative movement in general.
This atmosphere created a more silent and niche event look.
