CPAC 2026: United in Trump, divided on everything else

For the first time in more than a decade, the Conservative Political Action Conference opened its annual gathering without some of the top administration figures. Only Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Mehmet Oz (HHS), Kelly Loeffler (SBA) and Tom Homan (Border Czar) appeared on a platform normally dominated by the party’s biggest names. The absence signals how the MAGA base and the Republican Party’s governing apparatus are operating on increasingly different paths. President Donald Trump, longtime GOP leaders and key influencers all skipped the marquee event, leaving the stage to surrogates and rising voices — though the crowd’s loyalty remained unmistakable.

Despite the absence of its biggest stars, the conference’s messaging stayed loud and unified on core conservative themes but also revealed deep tensions on policy and direction. On foreign policy, in particular, the ongoing conflict with Iran surfaced as a defining flashpoint. Evangelist Rev. Franklin Graham invoked biblical language to justify support for the administration’s actions, telling the crowd, “I believe God has raised him up for a time such as this, like Queen Esther,” framing the moment as a moral test for conservatives.

Fellow CPAC speaker Mercedes Schlapp captured the hawkish tone of many on the stage when she warned that pressure on Iran must continue: “The madness needs to stop. We’ve got to make Iran free again and we are going to make sure America stands strong by their side.”

Even international voices added to the discourse. Exiled Iranian figure Reza Pahlavi used his platform to argue that negotiating with Iran’s current leadership would only prolong threats, urging continued pressure on the regime.

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But beneath the unity on selected issues was evidence of an evolving GOP base. In the annual Republican presidential straw poll for the 2028 election, Vice President JD Vance led with 53 percent support among attendees, followed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio at 35 percent, perhaps signaling where conservative activists are placing their bets for the future even as Trump’s personal influence remains undiminished.

That contrast between a loyal, energized base and a governing class that stayed absent gave this year’s CPAC an air of transition. It was less a showcase of institutional power than a pulpit for a movement that still looks to Trump but is increasingly defining itself on its own terms.

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