CPAC 2024: Republicans gather for Conservative Political Action Conference opening as Nikki Haley commits to fighting on
Nikki Haley doubles down on vow to stay in presidential race
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Republicans are gathering for the latest instalment of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Wednesday, another four-day jamboree of grandstanding speeches, culture war grievances and MAGA electioneering.
The event is once more taking place at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland, just outside of Washington DC, and will be headlined by Donald Trump, who will make its keynote address on Saturday before heading off to South Carolina for the state primary.
Other guest speakers of note include Liz Truss, Nigel Farage and Argentina’s president Javier Milei as well as a host of right-wing favourites.
Nikki Haley will not be there but did deliver a defiant message to Republicans on Tuesday as she pledged to fight on in the battle for the GOP presidential nomination, saying she wanted to avoid a “Soviet-style election” with only one candidate and claiming that party members “privately dread” Mr Trump but are afraid to say so publicly, warning that he is a serial loser.
“South Carolina will vote on Saturday,” she said. “But on Sunday, I’ll still be running for president. I’m not going anywhere. I’m campaigning every day until the last person votes.”
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Oliver O’Connell21 February 2024 10:30
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Gustaf Kilander reports on what he wrote:
Oliver O’Connell21 February 2024 09:30
Trump boosters, Biden attacks, and… Liz Truss? Here comes CPAC…
Once again, a throng of conservative activists, Republican elected officials and young right-wingers will descend on National Harbor just outside of Washington, DC for the annual Conservative Political Action Conference.
CPAC has served multiple purposes throughout the years. It often showcases new conservative talent, sets the tone for what major policies conservatives will champion in the next election and often allows potential candidates for president to test the waters. Indeed, in 2011, Donald Trump gave his first political speech at the conservative gathering. It debuted his conservative star turn and laid the groundwork for him becoming the Republican nominee for president in 2016 and winning the presidency.
This year, though, with Mr Trump being the presumptive nominee, CPAC – which runs from Wednesday to Saturday – will have a different tone and will serve as a booster for his campaign against Joe Biden in the general election.
Here’s what to expect this week at CPAC:
Eric Garcia21 February 2024 08:30
Nikki Haley says she would pardon Donald Trump if elected president
Presidential candidate Nikki Haley has vowed to pardon former US President Donald Trump should she defeat him in the Republican Primary and win against Joe Biden in November. Speaking at a town hall in South Carolina on Sunday (18 February), Haley confirmed that if the former president is found guilty, she would pardon him to unify America. She said: “We’ve got to leave the negativity and the baggage behind. I don’t want this country divided any further. I don’t think it’s in the best interest for America to have an 80-year-old president sitting in jail and having everybody upset about it.” Trump faces several court cases related to election interference, the January 6 riots, and falsifying business records.
Oliver O’Connell21 February 2024 06:30
‘I’m not going anywhere’: Defiant Haley insists she doesn’t fear Trump’s retribution
Former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley delivered a defiant speech ahead of her home state’s primary on Saturday and insisted that she will not quit the 2024 race even if she loses her home state’s primary this Saturday.
Ms Haley, who won two terms as governor of South Carolina, insisted that even if she loses, she does not fear former president Donald Trump’s retribution.
“That’s why I refuse to quit. South Carolina will vote on Saturday. But on Sunday, I’ll still be running for president. I’m not going anywhere,” she said at a speech in Greenville on Tuesday.
Oliver O’Connell21 February 2024 04:30
Watch: Manchin asked if Trump has moral fibre to be president
Oliver O’Connell21 February 2024 02:30
Biden campaign raises $42m in January ‘driven by grassroots’
The campaign claimed to have raised almost $278m since April last year, saying that its $130m cash on hand was the “highest total of any democratic candidate in history”. The president’s re-election campaign also noted that January was its strongest month for grassroots fundraising.
Gustaf Kilander looks at the figures:
Oliver O’Connell21 February 2024 01:30
13 GOP senators call on leadership to push for Mayorkas impeachment trial
They might need a few more senators on board to make this happen…
Oliver O’Connell21 February 2024 00:30
Nikki Haley’s strategy is clear: Run out the clock on Trump
Read the latest from The Independent’s Eric Garcia:
Oliver O’Connell21 February 2024 00:00
In pictures: Trump films Fox News town hall in Greenville, South Carolina
Donald Trump arrives at Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport
(AFP via Getty Images)
Mr Trump speaks with moderator Laura Ingraham of Fox News
(AP)
South Carolina’s Republican primary takes place this Saturday
(Getty Images)
(AP)
Oliver O’Connell20 February 2024 23:30
