US Politics

Marion McKeone: GOP gathering comes with plenty of sound and fury, but not the crowds

A fiery but ill-attended Conservative Political Action Conference 2023 struggles to stay relevant as the GOP’s heavy hitters opt to speak elsewhere

Maga brand: CPAC broadcasters and attendees cheer a speaker at the Gaylord Convention Centre in National Harbor, Maryland, during thethree-day conference. Picture: Getty

Steve Bannon, Sarah Palin, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Kari Lake, Donald Trump jr, Lauren Boebert, Matt Gaetz and Mike Lindell, also known as the MyPillow guy. The gang’s all here at the Gaylord Convention Centre in Maryland. It may be only a 30-minute drive from Capitol Hill, but it’s a cloistered world of conspiracy theorists, election deniers, cultural warriors and Trump worshippers.

The clue as to the Conservative Political Action Conference’s (CPAC) current gripes, in case ...