Conservatives gather for CPAC with the right openly divided over the
Iran war
[March 25, 2026]
By THOMAS BEAUMONT and MIKE CATALINI
GRAPEVINE, Texas (AP) — Conservatives are holding one of their largest
annual gatherings at a perilous political moment for President Donald
Trump and with open division on the right over the war he launched in
Iran.
While Trump maintains broad support among conservatives, the war in Iran
is more than a wrinkle for activists drawn to his “America First”
campaign pledge against getting involved in foreign conflicts. The
debate will be a subtext — and likely flare publicly — as thousands of
activists, influencers and Republican lawmakers gather at the
Conservative Political Action Conference that begins Wednesday outside
Dallas.
The gathering will be a contrast to the celebratory meeting one year ago
where Trump, newly returned to office, vowed to “forge a new and lasting
political majority” and Elon Musk wielded a chainsaw to symbolize how
the administration was slashing the government workforce and red tape.
This year, neither Trump nor Vice President JD Vance has been publicly
announced as speaking to the gathering. But among those who are slated
to speak are big names in the MAGA movement who have voiced conflicting
views on the Iran war.
"This is obviously going to be a hot topic,” said John Gizzi, a CPAC
veteran and columnist for the conservative media outlet Newsmax, who
noted the possibility of greater U.S. involvement over an uncertain
length of time.
Some featured speakers are divided over Iran, Israel
Among the featured speakers scheduled at the four-day event is longtime
Trump ally Steve Bannon. Bannon said during his War Room podcast this
month that should the war become “a hard slog," it could cost the GOP
conservative voters ahead of the midterms.
“We are going to bleed support,” Bannon said.
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who supports the war, also is on the agenda at the
Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center.
“I think President Trump was exactly right to act to protect Americans,”
Cruz said last week in a CBS News interview.
Former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz’s scheduled speaking slot is a reminder
of the disagreement among some conservatives about the U.S. military
alliance with Israel against Iran.
Gaetz, host of a show on the conservative One America News Network, has
said the U.S. has been too cozy with Israel as popular conservative
personalities such as Tucker Carlson have challenged conservatives’
longtime bond with the country, prompting criticism from GOP groups,
including pro-Israel Republicans, of antisemitism.
Others scheduled to speak include Trump border czar Tom Homan and former
Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley, who is running
for the U.S. Senate in North Carolina.
Trump's standing is strong among base
A year after Trump presided over the group's jubilant conference upon
his return to office, he is in a much different place.
At war while worries about jobs and household costs linger, his approval
is down. His signature domestic policy, aimed at tightening voting rules
ahead of November's midterm elections, has stalled in a Congress his
party controls, while the House Republican majority is in jeopardy and
the party's hold on the Senate is less certain than a year ago.
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President Donald Trump arrives on Air Force One, Wednesday, March
18, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Md., after attending the casualty
return at Dover Air Force Base, Del., for the six crew members of an
Air Force refueling aircraft who died when their plane crashed in
western Iraq while supporting operations against Iran. (AP
Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Despite the dividing lines, Trump enjoys enduring approval from his
party’s right flank. Eighty-six percent of conservatives said they
approved of the president’s job performance in a February AP-NORC
poll.
And while Trump's supporters remain devoted, some within the most
conservative circles say division over Iran could signal trouble for
Republicans in November.
Texas Rep. Steve Toth, who plans to attend CPAC, suggested Trump’s
support remains robust among conservatives, but that Republican
messaging on the war could be stronger.
“From MAGA people, for the most part, I don’t hear frustration with
the president,” said Toth, who beat incumbent Republican Rep. Dan
Crenshaw in Texas’ March 3 primary. “I don’t know that we’re doing a
great job at communicating the full ramifications.”
Texas' GOP Senate primary is a lingering issue
Another stark reminder of the contrast with last year is Texas's
unresolved Senate primary, a particular political headache for
Trump.
Texas Attorney Gen. Ken Paxton, who is challenging four-term GOP
Sen. John Cornyn, not only is attending the event, but has one of
the event's premier speaking roles, the Ronald Reagan Dinner on
Friday evening. Cornyn is not attending the Texas conference.
Trump said three weeks ago he would soon endorse one of them after
Paxton finished narrowly behind Cornyn in the March 3 primary,
though neither received a majority to avoid a May 26 runoff.
Trump implored whoever didn't get the endorsement to drop out,
writing in a social media post that the bitter contest “cannot, for
the good of the Party, and our Country, itself, be allowed to go on
any longer.”
The deadline for candidates to remove their names from the May 26
runoff ballot passed last week, as Paxton and Cornyn were launching
stepped-up attack ads targeting one another.
___
Catalini reported from Morrisville, Pennsylvania. Associated Press
writer Amelia Thomson DeVeaux in Washington contributed to this
report.
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