Where Have We Been?
I’m coming to you now from a United Airlines airliner, somewhere between Chicago and Anchorage. My wife and I are on our way back to the Great Land after a week in Dallas, where we attended the Conservative Political Action Conference. It’s one of the big conservative conclaves of the year, with thousands of attendees and dozens of speakers. The actual meeting took place from Wednesday, March 25th, through Saturday, March 28th. I attended, as usual, with the rest of the RedState CPAC Media Pit Mafia, my friends and colleagues Jennifer Oliver O’Connell and Becky Noble.
Here are some of the high points – and a few of the low points.
The Venue
The Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center in Grapevine, Texas, was the site of the event. It’s a magnificent facility, with a huge, domed atrium. I kind of like Marriott properties, like this one, as I have lifetime status with Marriott after a lifetime (hah) of preferential use of Marriott properties in my travels. We got upgraded to an atrium view room, complete with fascinating light shows every evening. The downside: The Gaylord Texan is kind of out in the suburbs; in last year’s event at the Gaylord in National Harbor, Maryland, one could walk out the front door and be presented with a wealth of restaurants, stores, shops, bars, and more. In Texas, you were pretty limited to what was in the venue; fortunately, the choices were adequate, and every meal we ate there was enjoyable.
The Media Pit Mafia (and my wife) did take an Uber ride one evening to the nearest Buc-ee’s, where I grabbed a couple of their famous barbecue brisket sandwiches. You can never go wrong with Buc-ee’s.
Next year, we have it on good authority, will be held in Orlando, Florida, although we do not yet have a named venue. I’m hoping for another Marriott property.
The Speakers
Conspicuous by their absence? President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance. I suppose that’s understandable. There is a war on, after all, even if the War Department and the President insist on calling it a “military operation.”
The hit of the show was the Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi. This year’s CPAC was heavily attended by members of the Iranian diaspora, and I spoke with a bunch of them; the most common comment I heard from them was “We love America!” and “We love President Trump!” They are looking at an opportunity to take their country back, and I’d say roughly half the Iranian expats I spoke with plan to return if their country can shake off the shackles of the mullahs.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to hear the Crown Prince speak, as I had ducked out of the main hall for a few moments just before he was scheduled to take the stage, and before I got back, the room hit capacity, and the fire marshal ordered the doors closed.
My friends and Townhall colleagues Kurt Schlichter and Larry O’Connor hosted a few of the discussions, which were fun to watch; I’ve been agitating for some time now for ten minutes on that stage myself, as I’m confident I’d rock it. But seeing the Townhall Media Group represented was great, and if they aren’t going to let me on the stage, this was the next best thing.
There were a lot of familiar faces on the stage; I heard more than a few comments about how it would be nice to see some new faces. I’m inclined to agree.
Read More: CPAC 2026: HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Talks the MAHA Agenda One Year In
CPAC 2026: Border Czar Tom Homan Puts the Hammer Down
The Media
Downstairs from the main event hall was the Media Row, which seemed somewhat diminished compared to last year. Instead of being lined up in the hallway outside the main event, they were tucked away in a room two levels down, stuck in with the vendors. It was a tad disorganized, and the podcasters and media outlets had to have had some difficulties with the huge stage that had loud, hammering bands playing on and off throughout the event.
I wandered around the media row a few times. It wasn’t the experience it had been the year before, when everyone coming and going saw all of the media outlets, streaming channels, and podcasters right there, and where the media people could freely score interviews with attendees.
My wife did score a cool, sparkly America 250th Anniversary jacket from one of the vendors. So, there’s that.
The Side Channels
This, for my money, is the best part of any event like this.
In addition to the conversations with Iranian expats I mentioned above, I did (as I generally do) have a lot of fun just wandering around jawing with the people attending. I always enjoy just bopping around the venue, talking to people. I not only get to grab the perspectives of a wide range of people, but I get a lot of story ideas, too – not to mention making some fascinating professional contacts, too. Stay tuned for more news on that front.
The End
CPAC 2026 was, yes, a big deal. There were high points and not-so-high points, as there usually are in such cases. CPAC itself could have done a better job of organizing the program. We didn’t get the schedules of speakers until the morning of the day in question. The wi-fi – and this is on the venue, not CPAC, as I understand it – was very iffy. A lot of us switched to using our phones as hotspots, just to get reliable service.
The good, though, I think, outweighed the not-so-good. It was, overall, an enjoyable time, in no small part because of the opportunity to hang out and schmooze with friends and colleagues we don’t often see in person.
So, next year, Orlando, Florida. It will be a daunting trip for us, as it’s about as far as we can travel while remaining in the United States. I expect we’ll make the trip regardless. Maybe we’ll see you there!
