Conservative Political Action Conference
The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC /ˈsiːpæk/ SEE-pak) is an annual political conference attended by conservative activists and elected officials from across the United States. CPAC is hosted by the American Conservative Union (ACU).[1] The first CPAC took place in 1974.
Conservative Political Action Conference
February/March/July (dates vary)
Annual
1974
Feb 21–24, 2024
The same name and acronym has been used for conferences in other countries.
Foreign CPACs[edit]
Australia[edit]
Australia's first CPAC was held in August 2019 by Andrew Cooper,[91] founder of conservative think-tank LibertyWorks. Guest speakers included former prime minister Tony Abbott, Brexit campaign leader Nigel Farage, former Breitbart News editor-in-chief Raheem Kassam and NSW One Nation leader Mark Latham. Liberal Senator Amanda Stoker and Craig Kelly MP were at the event. There were calls for Kassam to be banned from coming into the country before the event.[92][93]
The second conference was held in November 2020.[94] Canadian alt-right YouTuber Lauren Southern was initially scheduled to appear, but her invitation was rescinded by the organizers.[95]
The 2022 conference was held in Sydney on October 1. Attendees included Tony Abbott, Eric Abetz, Katherine Deves, Nigel Farage, Jacinta Price and Amanda Stoker.[96]
The 2023 conference was held in Sydney from August 19–20.[97][98][99] One prominent speaking point of the conference was in opposition to the proposed constitutional amendment to create an Indigenous voice to parliament. Tony Abbott, Warren Mundine and Jacinta Nampijinpa Price were among the speakers at the conference.[100]
Brazil[edit]
The first CPAC in Brazil took place on 11–12 October 2019, in the city of São Paulo, attended by leading American conservatives including ACU chairman Matt Schlapp and his wife Mercedes Schlapp, Utah senator Mike Lee, Fox News specialist Walid Phares, as well as Brazilian figures including President Jair Bolsonaro's son Eduardo Bolsonaro, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Ernesto Araújo, and the Prince Imperial of Brazil Bertrand Maria José de Orléans e Bragança and others.[101][102]
The ACU Foundation announced that the event would take place annually in Brazil from 2019.[103][104]
In September 2021, Jason Miller, a former senior adviser to Donald Trump, and other American right-wing media personalities in his traveling party, were detained and questioned for three hours at Brasília International Airport following participation in the 2021 CPAC Brazil Conference. The investigation was part of an inquiry by Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes into misinformation allegedly perpetuated by the administration of President Jair Bolsonaro. Miller had praised Bolsonaro's supporters as "proud patriots" and claimed they had been deplatformed and shadow banned by Brazilian authorities.[105] Miller continued to advise Jair Bolsonaro after his October 2022 election defeat, meeting with the president's son, Eduardo Bolsonaro, in November 2022, as protests and election challenges continued.[106]
