A diminished but loyal Trump Maga at CPAC: ‘There’s one choice’

It fell to Steve Bannon, far-right podcaster and political pugilist, to wake up the crowd with a jolt.

"Don't fall for the primary stuff," he urged in a fiery speech. "It's not relevant. We don't have time for on-the-job training [instead of] a man that gave us four years of peace and prosperity."

What had been a low energy Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) erupted in cheers. It did so again when Bannon - who is facing four months in prison for contempt of Congress - assured them that "Donald J Trump" would win both the Republican nomination and US presidency in 2024. Finally, here was someone who was speaking the language of CPAC.

But a glance at the convention centre ballroom revealed row upon row of empty seats. The "Make America Great Again" (Maga) movement, while vociferous as ever, appeared diminished in size. There was no doubt that former president Trump remained the big fish at the National Harbor in Maryland - but in a smaller pond.

CPAC, which bills itself as the biggest and most influential gathering of conservatives in the world, has been taking place for nearly half a century. After a pandemic-enforced move to Florida and Texas, it returned to the Washington area this week. But proximity to the capital was no guarantee of relevance. The list of Republicans who decided to stay away was as striking as those who showed up.

CPAC impresario Matt Schlapp, who is battling a lawsuit over a sexual assault allegation, acknowledged on Thursday: "There's a lot of chatter in the media about who's here and not here."

The absentees included potential 2024 contenders such as Florida governor Ron DeSantis, Virginia governor Glenn Youngkin, former vice-president Mike Pence and Senator Tim Scott. Republican Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell and Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel were also missing.