On Thursday, the final speaking slot of the evening went to Nick Shirley, the 23-year-old content creator who went viral for alleging fraud in Minneapolis day-care centers run by Somali immigrants. Other prominent speaking slots went to conservative activists from around the world, such as former British Prime Minister Liz Struss and Eduardo Bolsonaro, son of former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro.
Their appearances reflected CPAC’s broadening ambitions to take MAGA conservatism abroad. That said, while the speakers list did look different, much of the program still revolved around Trump’s key policy priorities, and leaned heavily on culture war issues and concerns about illegal immigration. But as 2028 inches closer, Trump’s absence at CPAC this year is a reminder that he may be the only figure that holds large parts of the party together, and when he’s not there, it’s unclear who fills that role.
