The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) enters its third day in Orlando, Florida, with attendees gearing up for the culmination on Sunday when it is rumoured Donald Trump will announce a 2024 presidential run.
Described as “Woodstock for election liars” by CNN anchor Anderson Cooper, Joe Biden has said he will not be paying attention to the four-day gathering.
Friday’s session was hit by controversy early on when members complained at being almost literally begged by organisers to wear masks.
Following appearances by Ted Cruz and Matt Gaetz, Donald Trump Jr took to the stage with much bombast, introduced by his girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle, and took potshots at a number of popular targets of the day, from the media to Democrats, to traditional Republicans – and also promoted his father’s big election lie by falsely suggesting Mr Biden received fewer than 80 million votes.
Biden’s $1.9tn Covid relief bill passes House vote
Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package has been approved by the US House of Representatives in his first major legislative win.
The president’s plan to send emergency financial aid to households, small businesses, and state and local governments battered by Covid-19 passed on a near party-line 219 to 212 vote early on Saturday.
The bill will now go to the evenly-divided Senate, where Democrats face a challenge in their hopes of using the package to raise the minimum wage and where vice president Kamala Harris may have to cast a tie-breaking vote.
Emily Goddard27 February 2021 09:52
Trump Jr promotes father’s big lie that Biden lost the election
In among the usual bile directed at the media, Democrats and Republicans not deemed sufficiently loyal to the Trump family, Donald Trump Jr on Friday also pushed against the big election lie during his speech at CPAC.
Talking about the election, Mr Trump Jr mentioned “the 80 million that voted for Joe Biden” (it was actually more than 81 million), but gestured quotation marks while saying the figure.
It comes after a riotous mob assaulted the Capitol last month, largely inspired by the Trump family’s false claims about election fraud.
Tom Embury-Dennis27 February 2021 09:31
ICYMI: CPAC interrupted as organisers forced to tell attendees to wear masks to furious jeers
The organisers of CPAC were forced to remind attendees that wearing masks was compulsory at the conference, setting off a wave of boos and jeers.
After one speaker finished up his speech by leading a chant of “freedom!” that saw attendees rise to their feet, event organisers took to the stage, begging the crowd to wear their masks at all times.
Shouts of complaint echoed around the ballroom at the order to don a face covering the stop the spread of Covid-19.
Oliver O’Connell27 February 2021 08:57
Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s up-to-the-minute coverage of all the latest at the third day of CPAC, as well as other news from the White House and beyond in US politics.
Tom Embury-Dennis27 February 2021 08:48
CPAC is promoting Donald Trump’s big lie of election fraud
The nation’s largest right-wing summit has devoted at least seven panels to relitigating or amplifying false claims about the 2020 presidential election, not counting the speeches from high-profile Republicans and right-wing figures raising questions about “election integrity” after Donald Trump’s loss and a persistent lie that the election was “stolen” from his supporters.
Graeme Massie27 February 2021 00:51
Where was Mike Pence?
The former vice president is returning to his home state of Indiana to decide his future, but residents in his hometown of Columbus are torn on his legacy, reports Richard Hall.
Oliver O’Connell26 February 2021 23:08
Voices: The terrifying word salad of Donald Trump Jr and Kimberly Guilfoyle at CPAC was surprisingly entertaining
It’s the WWF-style intro that will be scarred into most attendees’ minds forever, writes Holly Baxter.
Oliver O’Connell26 February 2021 22:49
QAnon Shaman accuses Trump of ‘grooming’ him
Josh Hawley may have spoken proudly about his role in the events of 6 January, but the QAnon Shaman appears to have a few regrets, accusing Donald Trump of “grooming” him and other rioters who stormed the US Capitol.
Oliver O’Connell26 February 2021 22:32
Marsha Blackburn outraged by fact-checking of Trump
Senator Marsha Blackburn, a Republican of Tennessee expressed outrage at the CPAC conference that former President Donald Trump was often fact-checked by publications and social media sites, despite him repeatedly making false claims in tweets and speeches.
During her speech in a segment called “America Uncancelled” she said: “First they decided they were going to fact-check him, the leader of the free world,” Ms Blackburn said. “And then they were going to block him. Send a message. And then they were going to temporarily ban him, then they were going to permanently ban him from Facebook and Twitter. The leader of the free world.”
Danielle Zoellner reports.
Oliver O’Connell26 February 2021 22:14
Bizarre ad during CPAC questions democracy
A strange fearmongering ad that played during CPAC warned that a national popular vote would allow liberals or socialists to win the presidency “every single time”… because more people would vote for them.
Oliver O’Connell26 February 2021 22:06