It’s that time of the year again—when thousands of conservative politicians, journalists, and media personalities typically do a victory lap with their MAGA hats on. But this time around, the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) looks a little different. America’s oldest conservative political conference is missing the big boss—President Donald Trump is skipping the event for the first time in a decade. Major past speakers like Kimberly Guilfoyle—once a CPAC regular—Vice President JD Vance, Florida governor Ron DeSantis, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio aren’t even scheduled to show face. And while the first day of CPAC still kicked off with a Trump pep rally, many seats within the conference hall remained empty all day.
CPAC 2025 was triumphant for Trump: He was riding the high of his win, implementing a shamelessly ambitious (and personal) agenda, and boasting opening acts such as Elon Musk, who famously wielded a chainsaw while onstage. This time around, his poll numbers are sinking while gas prices are rising. The right is openly divided on the war in Iran. Although most MAGA loyalists say they support the war, key members of Trump’s Cabinet—like Vance and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard—have avoided endorsing it outright.
The chasm has only grown as conservative influencers have expressed their disapproval: Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens, Megyn Kelly, and Republican politicians like Thomas Massie, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and Matt Gaetz have all pushed back against Trump’s hawkish agenda.
Still, apprehension didn’t prevent thousands from flocking to Grapevine, Texas, to show their loyalty to the MAGA movement. On day one of CPAC, speakers raved about Trump. Commentator Benny Johnson, Trump administration officials like retiring Border Patrol officer Gregory Bovino and border czar Tom Homan, and former UK prime minister Liz Truss all gushed about the president’s accomplishments. Johnson even attempted to assuage the disquiet within the party by painting the left as the real villain.
“Your enemy is not the people that you have good faith disagreements with inside your movement,” said Johnson. “Your enemy is the Marxists, and they are going to be running against us hard in the midterms and in 2028.”
Only time will tell whether Republicans’ lingering unease dissipates. Or whether their looming questions—about a widening enthusiasm gap with the Democrats, the details of Trump’s mass immigration crackdown, or what’s really in the Epstein files—get answered. Regardless, Vanity Fair’s Jack Califano was on the ground to document it all.
