Former Vice President Mike Pence declined an invitation to attend this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference, Fox News learned.
Pence was invited to speak at the annual event, but declined, according to a source familiar with the event’s planning.
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Former President Donald Trump will be present, however, as he is scheduled to make his first major public appearance since leaving office.
Two sources told Fox News that Trump is planning to speak at the conference on Sunday, February 28. The event will start in Orlando, Florida on Thursday.
Pence’s staff members said Pence harbored some “bitterness” towards Trump after the January 6 rebellion in the Capitol building.
Fox News Sunday presenter Chris Wallace reported earlier this month that, according to Pence’s aides, Trump’s failure to cancel the crowd and ensure the safety of his loyal second-in-command represented the “final betrayal” “.
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Former Pence team chief Marc Short, however, told Fox News on Friday that Pence and Trump are still talking.
Trump is expected to talk about the future of the Republican Party and the conservative movement. Also, expect him to take on President Biden’s “disastrous amnesty and border policies”, according to a source familiar with Trump’s speech.
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The former president has been relatively quiet since leaving the White House on January 20, but has indicated that he wants to remain politically active and told his supporters after the impeachment was absolved that the MAGA movement is still going strong.
“Our historic, patriotic and beautiful movement for Make America Great Again (MAGA) has just begun,” Trump said in a statement last week. “In the coming months, I have a lot to share with you and I look forward to continuing our incredible journey together to achieve American greatness for all of our people. There has never been anything like it!”
Mark Meredith, Marisa Schultz and Yael Halon of Fox News contributed to this report.