CPAC 2026 is scheduled to begin March 25 through March 28 in Grapevine, Texas. Interestingly, President Trump not scheduled to speak at the event; neither is JD Vance, Marco Rubio or any other potential GOP 2028 nominee including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
There are a few cabinet members scheduled as speakers [SEE HERE], however, all of the major MAGA politicians are not in attendance. It will be interesting to see if the attendance at CPAC 2026 is impacted.
The absence of Donald Trump, JD Vance, Marco Rubio, Ron DeSantis or any other major MAGA-era politician is not that surprising given the commercialized nature and evolution of the organization under the leadership of Matt and Mercedes Schlapp. The Schlapp’s are highly focused on affluence and considerably disconnected from the MAGA base.
When you chase money, you end up with traditional Republican outcomes. The corporate assembly that CPAC became has been spiraling downward in influence for the past dozen years. However, it is still remarkable to see just how diminished the organization has become.
Steve Bannon remains on the schedule to speak, and the remaining list of easily identifiable speakers resembles a Bannon podcast guest list. There are several foreign ‘conservatives’ scheduled to participate, but there are zero potential 2028 candidates in the currently displayed list of speakers. Ted Cruz will be there.
