GRAPEVINE, Texas — The annual Conservative Political Action Conference began with repeated calls from leaders for the GOP to put aside internal fights and focus on uniting behind President Donald Trump‘s agenda ahead of the midterm elections.
Infighting over the Iran war, Israel, and antisemitism has divided the MAGA base during the second year of Trump’s administration.
Chairman Matt Schlapp and his wife, CPAC senior fellow Mercedes Schlapp, implored the crowd gathered at the Gaylord Texan in Grapevine, Texas, not to allow Democrats to coast to victory this November due to conservative disagreements.
“We all have to remember that because the Left, the hard Left, the Marxists, the satanists, the communists, they love it when we’re all fighting, when we’re at each other’s throats, when we’re calling each other names,” Schlapp said during Thursday’s opening remarks.
Mercedes Schlapp pushed the crowd to support Trump’s agenda, which could be nullified if Democrats win back one chamber of Congress.
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“We have to stay united to win these midterm elections,” she said before pointing to New York Democrats who she claimed are benefiting from GOP division.
“It’s the communists, it’s the socialists, it’s the marxists, it’s [New York Mayor Zohran] Mamdani, it’s AOC, it’s [Senate Minority Leader] Chuck Schumer. … They want us divided,” she continued.
Rev. Franklin Graham, who spoke after the Schlapps, excoriated Democrats and called for GOP unity.
“I want to take a moment to give a warning. Conservatives do have a problem. That problem is unity, or rather the lack of it at times,” he told the crowd. “Sometimes it seems like we eat our own. Conservative leaders and influencers need to have a united front.”
He also warned about the media, including a new crop of influencers and podcasters who have begun to have outsize opinions on politics.
“Be cautious of people with podcasts and social media platforms who make money by views, clicks, and the number of followers they have,” Graham said. “If they can cause a stir, if they can get a debate, these kinds of things, it will serve them, and they will profit from it.”
Several high-profile conservatives and podcasters, such as former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, have attacked the Trump White House over the Iran war, claiming the U.S. is doing the bidding of Israel. Carlson is not yet scheduled to speak at CPAC, although former Trump strategist Steve Bannon, who has criticized the war, is speaking.
Notably, Trump is not attending CPAC this year, although attendees at the conference cheered loudly as speakers have called for conservatives to rally around Trump.
But several administration officials, including Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, border czar Tom Homan, and Dr. Mehmet Oz, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services administrator, are speaking at the conference.
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Blanche warned the crowd that members of the administration fear that if the GOP doesn’t remain in power, Democrats could exact revenge.
“Everybody’s afraid that the next administration, if we don’t win, we’re going to all be investigated,” Blanche said.
