The conflict in Ukraine was mostly a side note at CPAC, an event which caters far more to culture warriors than cold warriors, reports bencjacobs
Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images The specter of escalating war in Europe may have overshadowed this year’s CPAC, but it did not haunt it. The annual conservative confab was far more focused on the threats of wokeness and being cancelled than those posed by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The conflict was mostly a side note at an event that catered far more to culture warriors than cold warriors, and that dynamic was on full display during Donald Trump’s speech to the conference on Saturday night.
In his speech, the former president called Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky “brave” and said that “we are praying for the people of Ukraine.” He condemned the Russian invasion as “appalling” and “an atrocity.” Trump also called Putin “smart,” America’s NATO allies “not so smart,” and claimed Russian aggression “would not have happened if there wasn’t a rigged election.” He even attempted to paint himself as uniquely tough on Russia, telling the crowd: “Under Bush, Russia invaded Georgia.
It became almost a de facto 2024 stump speech, served with thick slices of red meat to the CPAC crowd. The foreign government he derided as “fascist” and railed against with far more enthusiasm was Justin Trudeau’s in Canada. The presumptive 2024 GOP presidential nominee also ran through familiar right-wing talking points ranging from the need to crack down on big tech and critical race theory to preventing transgender athletes from participating in women’s sports.
Inside a Florida conference hall where paid admission started at $300, the CPAC lineup was filled with various anti-vaxxers and conservative celebrities who spoke about their experiences “being canceled.” Ukraine did pop up occasionally, and while most attendees stuck to conventional opinions on the topic, there were echoes of generational difference.
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