The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) begins Thursday, presenting a series of Republicans who are seen as potential presidential candidates in 2024 and who will seek to make their calls to the base – but none will draw as much attention as former President Donald Trump .
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, along with Sens. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., Ted Cruz, R-Texas and Josh Hawley, R-Mo., Will all be present in Orlando, Florida. Their speeches will be closely watched for any early signs that they may occur in 2024.
But any potential 2024 run for these potential candidates may have to compete with Trump, who flirted with the possibility of running again to retake the White House in 2024, after losing in November to current President Biden.
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Early research at this stage suggests that Trump would maintain a leadership over the 2024 camp if he decides to run, and even those who opposed Trump at various stages within his own party admit that he could easily get the nomination again.
“I don’t know if he will run in 2024 or not, but if he does, I’m sure he will win the nomination,” said Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah. The New York Times.
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Trump will talk about CPAC on Sunday, and he is expected to draw more attention from any speaker. Sources familiar with his speech told Fox News that he will hammer Biden on everything from immigration to China.
The 45th president is expected to go between “warming up to the idea of a 2024 race and walking straight to the line of announcing another campaign” – although he should not make an actual announcement.
It will be Trump’s first public appearance since he left office. It is unclear to what extent Trump will re-launch the 2020 election, which he has repeatedly claimed to have won.
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Trump’s speech will be closely watched for both indications of a possible 2024 race – where early polls show he is the comfortable favorite in the Republican primaries if he chooses to run again – and also if he intends to target political opponents within the Republican Party Party.
A source familiar with Trump’s speech told Fox News last week that Trump will talk about the future of the Republican Party and the conservative movement, as well as Biden’s policies on amnesty and the border.
But the conference will be a sign of how the presidential primary field can shape itself, with speeches closely followed to see who is and is not well received by the conservative base, and what issues are discussed.
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So far, Republicans have focused, in particular, on the growing border crisis and efforts to reopen schools after they were closed in many – but not all – states in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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In addition, how to deal with China, taxation, illegal immigration, crime and energy policy will all be mentioned by speakers in various roles.
And, as Trump’s speech previews indicated, criticism of the Biden government should be a regular feature of conference speeches.
John Roberts and Tyler Olson of Fox News contributed to this report.