Conservatives are gathering this week at CPAC outside Dallas as the party faces a perilous political moment for President Donald Trump and growing anxiety among some activists over his Iran policy. The four-day conference at the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center begins Wednesday, with the main program of more than 80 speakers slated to start Thursday, and the war in Iran is expected to become a visible dividing line on the right.
The event comes as Americans show mixed views about the military action in Iran, and those doubts could complicate messaging for Republicans heading toward midterms. A new AP-NORC poll cited in coverage found about 59% of Americans think the Iran military action is excessive, placing the debate over involvement and duration at the center of conversations among lawmakers, activists and influencers arriving for the gathering.
While Trump has broad support among conservatives, some right-leaning figures have framed the Iran war as more than a policy dispute. John Gizzi, a CPAC veteran and columnist for Newsmax, said at the conference that the issue is “obviously going to be a hot topic,” and he pointed to concerns about the possibility of greater U.S. involvement over an uncertain length of time.
That backdrop is reflected in the schedules of prominent MAGA-aligned speakers who have taken conflicting approaches to the war. Steve Bannon, a longtime ally of Trump, is scheduled to speak, after he told listeners on his “War Room” podcast this month that if the conflict became “a hard slog,” it could harm the GOP’s prospects with conservative voters. Bannon said, “We are going to bleed support.”
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz also has a role at CPAC, and unlike Bannon he has supported the war. Cruz told CBS News last week, “I think President Trump was exactly right to act to protect Americans,” a view he brings to an agenda that includes high-profile figures in the pro-Trump movement.
The conference also highlights tension within conservative circles over U.S. alignment with Israel as the war unfolds. Coverage said former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz is scheduled to speak, noting that Gaetz has said the U.S. has been too cozy with Israel and that some conservatives—including Tucker Carlson—have challenged long-standing bonds with the country, drawing criticism from GOP groups, including pro-Israel Republicans, of antisemitism.
Attendance on Wednesday included hundreds of participants forming lines through the corridor outside the hall, with bright red outfits, “Trump 2028” caps and star-spangled jackets among the visible dress, along with some women wearing traditional Iranian attire carrying signs backing the war in Iran. While Trump and Vice President JD Vance have not been publicly announced as speaking, officials said the lineup includes other figures such as Tom Homan, described as Trump’s border policy point person, and Michael Whatley, the former Republican National Committee chairman running for the U.S. Senate in North Carolina.
Several factors underscore how the political atmosphere for Trump differs from CPAC a year ago, when he had just returned to office. Then, he pledged to “forge a new and lasting political majority,” and Elon Musk used a chain saw as a symbol of the administration’s push to slash the government workforce and red tape; this year, concerns about jobs and household costs, along with the stalled progress of his domestic agenda, are among the pressures described as weighing on him.
Even so, Trump’s support among conservatives appears durable, with coverage citing that 86% of conservatives said they approved of his job performance in a February AP-NORC poll. Still, Texas Rep. Steve Toth, who said he plans to attend CPAC, suggested conservative backing remains strong while warning that Republicans may not be communicating the full implications of the war as effectively as they could. Toth said: “From MAGA people, for the most part, I don’t hear frustration with the president. I don’t know that we’re doing a great job at communicating the full ramifications.”
The conference also intersects with an unresolved Republican primary in Texas that has become a direct headache for Trump. Coverage said Texas Attorney Gen. Ken Paxton is attending and will have a premier speaking role, the Ronald Reagan Dinner on Friday evening, while Sen. John Cornyn is not attending the Texas conference. Trump said three weeks earlier that he would soon endorse one candidate after Paxton finished narrowly behind Cornyn in the March 3 primary, but neither man received a majority to avoid a May 26 runoff.
Trump also urged whoever did not get his endorsement to drop out, writing in a social media post that the bitter contest “cannot, for the good of the Party, and our Country, itself, be allowed to go on any longer.” The coverage said the deadline for candidates to remove their names from the May 26 runoff ballot passed last week as Paxton and Cornyn escalated attack ads against each other, a reminder that Trump’s political calendar at CPAC sits alongside internal Republican fights and an externally contested war.