‘I hope we can make it work’: CPAC head confirms Trump’s invitation to speak at next week’s conference

Although former President Donald Trump has been largely quiet in the weeks since he left the White House, he broke his silence in a series of interviews this week.

Subsequently, organizers of the Conservative Political Action Conference had announced that Trump is invited to address the largest annual gathering of conservatives.

“Even people who disagree with him”

For his part, the ex-president has not yet confirmed whether he intends to address CPAC, which is set to begin next week in Orlando, Florida.

Several key Trump allies and members of his administration — including former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and White House press secretary Sarah Sanders — are expected to be featured at the conference. Others slated to appear at the event are former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson and Director of National Security Ric Grenell.

Trump has appeared at multiple CPAC events in years past, including last year’s conference, which served as something of a victory lap following his first of two Senate impeachment acquittals. Matt Schlapp, chairman of the American Conservative Union, which presents the conference, addressed the standing Trump invitation, saying: “I’ve always had good relations with him, we’ve always talked, and I hope we can make it work.”

Schlapp went on to share his opinion that Trump “deserves to be heard” and that “even people who disagree with him will agree” that the ex-president is entitled to a platform.

“He should be uncanceled,” Schlapp added.

“I have a funny feeling”

After being largely stripped of his access to social media sites like Twitter and Facebook in the wake of last month’s deadly riot on Capitol Hill, Trump has been conspicuously tight-lipped during the first few weeks of his successor’s term. He emerged in recent days, however, in part with a blistering rebuke aimed at Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) over remarks tying Trump’s rhetoric to the actions of his supporters at the Capitol building.

The former president also made the rounds on right-wing airwaves, granting several interviews shortly after the death of conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh.

In an appearance on Fox News Channel’s Hannity on Wednesday, Trump indicated that he did not intend to remain quiet for long, though he maintained his focus on Limbaugh.

“I have a funny feeling we’re going to hear a lot more from Donald Trump,” host Sean Hannity said. “Are my instincts correct?”

Teasing more public statements to come, Trump, who has seen his popularity among Republicans bounce back after his second impeachment acquittal, declared: “Well, there’s a lot to talk about, and our country is a great place. And we’re going to make it even greater, as the expression goes. But we have a lot to talk about.”

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