Don’t expect Donald Trump to show up at the Conservative Political Action Conference this Sunday -- on Friday, Trump announced he’d forego the annual gathering of conservatives according to CPAC.
“Very disappointed @realDonaldTrump has decided at the last minute to drop out of #CPAC -- his choice sends a clear message to conservatives,” tweeted the organization Friday afternoon.
Trump was scheduled to speak at the Maryland conference Sunday morning.
Rather than participate in the CPAC event, Trump is instead opting to campaign in Kansas and Florida, the sites of two major primary elections over the next two weeks.
A press release from Trump says the current GOP frontrunner will be attending a “major rally” in Wichita on Saturday before the Kansas Republican caucus.
Once Trump wraps up his speaking engagement in Kansas, he’ll jet down to Orlando to campaign for a “crowd of 20,000 people or more” according to his campaign team.
“Because of this, he will not be able to speak at CPAC as he has done for many consecutive years,” read the email. “Mr. Trump would like to thank Matt Schlapp and all of the executives at CPAC and looks forward to returning to next year, hopefully as President of the United States.”
After Trump’s last-minute announcement, CPAC pounced on Trump for the decision, seemingly warning conservatives to take a second glance at the man who might nab the Republican presidential nomination.
“This comes at a critical time in our movement’s history,” wrote the American Conservative Union, the group organizing the event. “His decision sends a clear message to grassroots conservatives.”
ACU says it remains neutral on the presidential race, saying all candidates should have an equal opportunity to answer questions from the CPAC conference’s attendees, but seemed to have strong implications for Trump’s decision to abandon ship.
“Every conservative candidate walks through the doors of CPAC and understands that you cannot unite Americans without the support of grassroots activists,” the group wrote.
“CPAC is the heart and soul of the conservative movement and will be, with or without Mr. Trump,” ACU continued.
“Since we invited him several months ago — and Mr. Trump accepted our invitation and terms — we made it clear all candidates would follow the same format. And now he is backing out.”
GOP uproar over Trump’s feverish rise to the top has grown intensely over the last few days, with many conservative groups and politicians speaking out against the businessman-turned-presidential hopeful.
Former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney went on a tirade against Trump’s business practices, trashing his record and harping on Trump’s failures.
“His bankruptcies have crushed small businesses and the men and women who worked for them. He inherited his business, he didn’t create it. And what ever happened to Trump Airlines? How about Trump University? And then there’s Trump Magazine and Trump Vodka and Trump Steaks, and Trump Mortgage? A business genius he is not,” Romney said.
Conservative PACs are turning up the heat against Trump, too, using financial firepower to launch big ad buys in important primary states like Florida. One group, Club For Growth, will be broadcasting an anti-Trump ad with a $1.5 million buy in Florida leading up to the state primary election.
