Voices of victory and hope flooded the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) this weekend, as Conservatives celebrated the recent power shift in Washington.
Many prominent leaders of the conservative movement addressed the conference attendees, offering inspiring speeches that energized the crowd.
There’s little doubt that the Republican Party’s recent reclaiming of the White House contributed to this optimism, especially since the Vice President and even President Trump himself were keynote speakers during CPAC.
Many of the attendees seemed grateful just to be in an environment where they could relax and not be afraid to sport their Trump pins and “Make American Great Again” hats. In various interviews, Conservatives expressed their relief: “Having so many people who think the same way you do is just a breath of fresh air,” one young man commented. Another said, “I know that sounds ignorant to say we’re only hanging out around people we agree with, but it feels so nice to not be called a bigot or a racist.”
And yet another admitted, “In some ways, it’s preaching to the choir, so it’s kind of a pep rally. But it’s good to be here with like-minded people just promoting conservative values.”
Of course, the conference was occasionally disrupted by anti-Trump protesters. In fact, someone handed out Russian flags (that were promptly photographed and published on Snapchat), before security escorted them out.
Snapchat’s CPAC story caught video of the guy handing out the Russian Trump flags pic.twitter.com/P3lXV5IdIE
— Peter Hamby (@PeterHamby) February 24, 2017
And who can forget the lone Pence protester?
CPAC protest was a full go today! Really turning out massive number of protesters. #CPAC2017 pic.twitter.com/dO4crchX6H
— Jack Murphy (@RealJack) February 24, 2017
Despite the minor interruptions, speakers like Carly Fiorina, Matt Schlapp and Sheriff David Clarke delivered inspiring words to the group of Conservatives. A people who have felt marginalized by their political support this year were able to enjoy camaraderie once again. According to one young man, it was nice to be reminded that “there’s a lot of us. It’s good to know we’re not alone.”