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CPAC 2017: Kellyanne Conway, Mike Pence and Steve Bannon speak – live CPAC 2017: Kellyanne Conway, Mike Pence and Steve Bannon speak – live
(35 minutes later)
6.37pm GMT
18:37
She says the education system is failing American children, attacking “the education establishment” rather than “good public school teachers”.
Turning to higher education, she says “the faculty, from adjunct professors to deans, tell you what to do, what to say, and more ominously, what to think. They say that if you voted for Donald Trump, you’re a threat to the university community. But the real threat is silencing the first amendment rights of people with whom you disagree.”
6.34pm GMT
18:34
DeVos is given a standing ovation as she takes the stage. One woman shouts: “I love you!” She gets a big round of applause for claiming she is “perhaps the first person to tell Bernie Sanders to his face that there’s no such thing as a free lunch”.
6.31pm GMT
18:31
Betsy DeVos, the education secretary, is up next. She is reported to have opposed Trump’s decision to rescind protections allowing transgender students to use bathrooms corresponding with their gender identity.
She released a statement on Wednesday night casting Trump’s move as returning decision-making on the issue to state and local level and saying: “I have dedicated my career to advocating for and fighting on behalf of students, and as secretary of education, I consider protecting all students, including LGBTQ students, not only a key priority for the department, but for every school in America.”
Her pre-released remarks suggest she will avoid this issue today, and instead hit back at the media, which criticised her for a disastrous Senate confirmation hearing that suggested she had a poor knowledge of the workings of her department. Most Democrats agreed, as well as two Republican senators, with the result that Mike Pence had to cast the first vice-presidential tie break vote for a cabinet nominee in history in order to get her confirmed.
6.18pm GMT
18:18
A discussion about why young Americans seemed so interested in socialism - “FREE stuff vs FREE-dom: Millenials’ Love Affair with Bernie Sanders?” - could perhaps have done with hearing from a young American who was interested in socialism.
As it was, Mercedes Schlapp of the Washington Times, Representative Ron DeSantis of Florida, Greg Dolin of the ACU Foundation and Ana Quintana of the Heritage Foundation all asked each other why millennials could not see that socialism was a danger to themselves and the country, and it turned out none of them really knew the answer.
Only DeSantis briefly showed some insight into the people they were discussing, noting that young people in the US had never seen a booming American economy and suggesting that when they left college and found it hard to get a job they might not view capitalism as the world’s greatest economic system.
6.03pm GMT6.03pm GMT
18:0318:03
David SmithDavid Smith
Tensions at CPAC were clear earlier as Dan Schneider, leader of the American Conservative Union, denounced the alt-right, the rebranding of the far right that has been accused of racism, Islamophobia and neo-Nazism.Tensions at CPAC were clear earlier as Dan Schneider, leader of the American Conservative Union, denounced the alt-right, the rebranding of the far right that has been accused of racism, Islamophobia and neo-Nazism.
“There is a sinister organization that is trying to worm its way into our ranks and we must not be duped,” Schneider told the audience. “Just a few years ago, this hate-filled leftwing fascist group hijacked the very term ‘alt-right’.“There is a sinister organization that is trying to worm its way into our ranks and we must not be duped,” Schneider told the audience. “Just a few years ago, this hate-filled leftwing fascist group hijacked the very term ‘alt-right’.
“That term, alt-right — it had been used for a long time in a very good and normal way, but this group has hijacked it. We must not allow them to be normalised. They are not part of us.”“That term, alt-right — it had been used for a long time in a very good and normal way, but this group has hijacked it. We must not allow them to be normalised. They are not part of us.”
Schneider added: “They are antisemites. They are racist. They are sexist. They hate the constitution. They hate free markets. They hate pluralism. They hate everything and despite everything we believe in.”Schneider added: “They are antisemites. They are racist. They are sexist. They hate the constitution. They hate free markets. They hate pluralism. They hate everything and despite everything we believe in.”
A short distance away, outside the main hall, prominent white nationalist Richard Spencer, wearing a general admission badge, told reporters that he “coined the term” alt-right and rejected Schneider’s criticism.A short distance away, outside the main hall, prominent white nationalist Richard Spencer, wearing a general admission badge, told reporters that he “coined the term” alt-right and rejected Schneider’s criticism.
“He didn’t even do basic research on what the alt-right is and he denounced it,” Spencer complained.“He didn’t even do basic research on what the alt-right is and he denounced it,” Spencer complained.
“That’s pretty pathetic. If I was to give a speech denouncing Marx, I would be reading for months. He just called us names.”“That’s pretty pathetic. If I was to give a speech denouncing Marx, I would be reading for months. He just called us names.”
Asked if he feels he now has an ally in the White House, Spencer said: “In terms of Donald Trump, I would say that it’s not so much that he’s alt-right, it’s that he’s a nationalist and a populist and so he’s connected to us on that basic level. He doesn’t articulate our ideas – he’s not an identarian – but his arrow points in our direction.”Asked if he feels he now has an ally in the White House, Spencer said: “In terms of Donald Trump, I would say that it’s not so much that he’s alt-right, it’s that he’s a nationalist and a populist and so he’s connected to us on that basic level. He doesn’t articulate our ideas – he’s not an identarian – but his arrow points in our direction.”
The 38-year-old also praised Trump aides Steve Bannon and Stephen Miller but added: “I don’t have Trump on the phone every morning. It’s not anything like that. ‘Allies’ may be a little too strong a word.”The 38-year-old also praised Trump aides Steve Bannon and Stephen Miller but added: “I don’t have Trump on the phone every morning. It’s not anything like that. ‘Allies’ may be a little too strong a word.”
He said of the Trump administration so far: “The implementation has not been perfect but it’s certainly very high energy and I appreciate that.”He said of the Trump administration so far: “The implementation has not been perfect but it’s certainly very high energy and I appreciate that.”
Spencer denied that he is a fascist or antisemite or had ever met the Ku Klux Klan but expressed opposition to interracial marriage and refused to take sides regarding the second world war. Challenged about a “Hail Trump” salute he gave last November, he said, using the German version of the first word: “‘Heil Trump!’ a moment of exuberance. It was an ironical statement.”Spencer denied that he is a fascist or antisemite or had ever met the Ku Klux Klan but expressed opposition to interracial marriage and refused to take sides regarding the second world war. Challenged about a “Hail Trump” salute he gave last November, he said, using the German version of the first word: “‘Heil Trump!’ a moment of exuberance. It was an ironical statement.”
Spencer estimated he had been to CPAC seven times but now felt “less welcome”. He explained: “The fact they’re denouncing us in rather dumb ways on the main stage, that’s something new. There’s an old adage that is first they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win, and I think we’re in the fighting stage. Hopefully it won’t be actually physical, it’ll just be with words.”Spencer estimated he had been to CPAC seven times but now felt “less welcome”. He explained: “The fact they’re denouncing us in rather dumb ways on the main stage, that’s something new. There’s an old adage that is first they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win, and I think we’re in the fighting stage. Hopefully it won’t be actually physical, it’ll just be with words.”
As Spencer talked to a large group of reporters, a delegate who gave his name as “Grizzly Joe”, wearing a stars and stripes shirt, confronted him angrily: “Fuck you, you don’t represent us. Get the fuck out of here. You don’t represent us. You’re a piece of shit. I hope everybody got that. You’re a fucking piece of shit. He’s a fucking white supremacist piece of shit.”As Spencer talked to a large group of reporters, a delegate who gave his name as “Grizzly Joe”, wearing a stars and stripes shirt, confronted him angrily: “Fuck you, you don’t represent us. Get the fuck out of here. You don’t represent us. You’re a piece of shit. I hope everybody got that. You’re a fucking piece of shit. He’s a fucking white supremacist piece of shit.”
Spencer was reportedly escorted out by security soon after.Spencer was reportedly escorted out by security soon after.
5.59pm GMT5.59pm GMT
17:5917:59
Oliver LaughlandOliver Laughland
Earlier Ted Cruz claimed border agents had told him illegal crossings of the border had decreased by 50% since the election but that the mainstream media will not report it.Earlier Ted Cruz claimed border agents had told him illegal crossings of the border had decreased by 50% since the election but that the mainstream media will not report it.
There is no data available to support this claim – in fact, the available statistics suggest the opposite.There is no data available to support this claim – in fact, the available statistics suggest the opposite.
The latest figures from Customs and Border Protection cover the period between October and December 2016 - the first fiscal quarter of 2017. They show the total number of migrants apprehended by Border Patrol was 136,670 people. This is significantly higher than the same period last year, when 102,588 people were apprehended.The latest figures from Customs and Border Protection cover the period between October and December 2016 - the first fiscal quarter of 2017. They show the total number of migrants apprehended by Border Patrol was 136,670 people. This is significantly higher than the same period last year, when 102,588 people were apprehended.
If we compare December 2016 (the only complete month available since the election) - with December 2015, we also see that the total number of apprehensions has increased by 6,259 people.If we compare December 2016 (the only complete month available since the election) - with December 2015, we also see that the total number of apprehensions has increased by 6,259 people.
It seems Cruz might want to double check his maths, especially if he wants to rid himself of the moniker Trump once gave him: “Lyin’ Ted”.It seems Cruz might want to double check his maths, especially if he wants to rid himself of the moniker Trump once gave him: “Lyin’ Ted”.
5.05pm GMT5.05pm GMT
17:0517:05
Wayne LaPierre of the NRA has released a new video hyping his speech here tomorrow and identifying his pro-gun organisation as Trump’s “most powerful ally”. “Already the forces that conspired to keep Donald Trump out of the White House are coming together to sabotage his administration,” Pierre says, over dystopian footage of violent protests, flag-burning, and Madonna saying she thought about blowing up the White House.Wayne LaPierre of the NRA has released a new video hyping his speech here tomorrow and identifying his pro-gun organisation as Trump’s “most powerful ally”. “Already the forces that conspired to keep Donald Trump out of the White House are coming together to sabotage his administration,” Pierre says, over dystopian footage of violent protests, flag-burning, and Madonna saying she thought about blowing up the White House.
5.04pm GMT5.04pm GMT
17:0417:04
In a Trumpish touch, Cruz claims border agents have told him illegal crossings of the border have decreased by 50% since the election but that the mainstream media won’t report it. We’ll come back to that figure.In a Trumpish touch, Cruz claims border agents have told him illegal crossings of the border have decreased by 50% since the election but that the mainstream media won’t report it. We’ll come back to that figure.
4.55pm GMT4.55pm GMT
16:5516:55
Asked about impeachment, Cruz says the Democrats are living in “an alternative universe”.Asked about impeachment, Cruz says the Democrats are living in “an alternative universe”.
He claims to have been in an elevator with a liberal Democrat “who was just standing there in a complete stupor ... and that hasn’t changed!”He claims to have been in an elevator with a liberal Democrat “who was just standing there in a complete stupor ... and that hasn’t changed!”
“They’re all like that,” responds his interviewer Mark Levin of the Conservative Review.“They’re all like that,” responds his interviewer Mark Levin of the Conservative Review.
Ted Cruz at #cpac2017 pic.twitter.com/9Ud3dZ8pBpTed Cruz at #cpac2017 pic.twitter.com/9Ud3dZ8pBp
Cruz says there is a word for their base.Cruz says there is a word for their base.
“Moscow?” suggests Levin (which seems a bit rich).“Moscow?” suggests Levin (which seems a bit rich).
Cruz says he was going for “bat-crap crazy”.Cruz says he was going for “bat-crap crazy”.
He says the Democrats have taken the lesson from the election that Hillary Clinton was not leftwing enough. The audience laughs. He says they are heading towards the Sanders/Warren wing of the party.He says the Democrats have taken the lesson from the election that Hillary Clinton was not leftwing enough. The audience laughs. He says they are heading towards the Sanders/Warren wing of the party.
Cruz says that Democrats are going to oppose everything but Republicans must not allow them to block the business of government (also a bit rich).Cruz says that Democrats are going to oppose everything but Republicans must not allow them to block the business of government (also a bit rich).
He thanks former Senate majority leader Harry Reid for changing congressional rules to make it harder to block nominees and therefore indirectly allowing Trump to elect a very conservative cabinet.He thanks former Senate majority leader Harry Reid for changing congressional rules to make it harder to block nominees and therefore indirectly allowing Trump to elect a very conservative cabinet.
Levin says CPAC should get behind Keith Ellison (who backed Bernie Sanders last year) as the next DNC chair. The crowd seem to like that idea.Levin says CPAC should get behind Keith Ellison (who backed Bernie Sanders last year) as the next DNC chair. The crowd seem to like that idea.
4.42pm GMT4.42pm GMT
16:4216:42
Ted Cruz is now on stage discussing the constitution. The Texas senator and former opponent of Donald Trump is attacking the court rulings that have blocked Trump’s travel ban, and a recent decision that ruled that the second amendment does not guarantee Americans the right to own “assault weapons”, which he calls “nuts”.Ted Cruz is now on stage discussing the constitution. The Texas senator and former opponent of Donald Trump is attacking the court rulings that have blocked Trump’s travel ban, and a recent decision that ruled that the second amendment does not guarantee Americans the right to own “assault weapons”, which he calls “nuts”.
4.38pm GMT4.38pm GMT
16:3816:38
White nationalist leader Richard Spencer, who shouted “Hail, Trump! Hail, our people! Hail, victory!” at a meeting in December, has just been escorted out of CPAC by security, according to the Huffington Post’s Igor Bobic. He was the centre of a scrum of media for half an hour or so outside the convention hall beforehand. He has seen his rebranding of the far right – the “alt right” – move closer to the heart of power with the election of Donald Trump and elevation of Steve Bannon, whose Breitbart news website was an unofficial home for the political strand, which has been accused of racism, Islamophobia and neo-Nazism.White nationalist leader Richard Spencer, who shouted “Hail, Trump! Hail, our people! Hail, victory!” at a meeting in December, has just been escorted out of CPAC by security, according to the Huffington Post’s Igor Bobic. He was the centre of a scrum of media for half an hour or so outside the convention hall beforehand. He has seen his rebranding of the far right – the “alt right” – move closer to the heart of power with the election of Donald Trump and elevation of Steve Bannon, whose Breitbart news website was an unofficial home for the political strand, which has been accused of racism, Islamophobia and neo-Nazism.
Richard Spencer being escorted out by security at CPAC pic.twitter.com/nShgyWLUUcRichard Spencer being escorted out by security at CPAC pic.twitter.com/nShgyWLUUc
UpdatedUpdated
at 4.43pm GMTat 4.43pm GMT
3.40pm GMT
15:40
The exhibition hall downstairs has just opened. If you’d like Breitbart T-shirt advertising the construction of a BORDER WALL, a book about how the concept of male and female is in danger of being abolished, to sign up for a campaign to make English the official language of Texas, Michigan, Georgia or New Hampshire, a “snowflake coloring book” about Donald Trump, or free ultrasound pregnancy and STI testing by a group that describes itself as “providing abortion alternatives”, you’ve come to the right place.
2.50pm GMT
14:50
Conway on feminism
Conway used that short session to set out some of her ideas about women’s equality, although she probably wouldn’t put it like that herself. She rejected the term “feminism”, saying it was perceived as “anti-men” and “pro-abortion”, and said she was raised as a strong, independent woman without anyone using the word feminist or discussing politics.
Her “I’ll have what he’s having” anecdote was a memorable call for equal pay, although it was clearly a call for each woman to fight for that equality individually rather than something that she felt could or should be achieved widely through legislation. She applied the same basic philosophy to the story of her mother, who she said got past the disadvantages life had given her by force of will - “she just figured it out” – rather than through any help the state or society might be able to offer.
Given the opportunity by Schlepp, Conway tried to humanise Trump, although some may doubt the ability to “absorb information” of a man who at times has seemed woefully underprepared to weigh in on complex political issues such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Her claim that CPAC was now becoming “TPAC” seemed somewhat backed up by cheers for her remarks about Trump not being a typical politician and intending to shake up the system.
2.35pm GMT
14:35
Conway says that during her career she found it difficult to ask for the amount of money she felt she was worth. In 1996 there was an incident when she did not know what sum to name for her speaking fee. So, referring to a fellow male speaker, she said, “I’ll have what he’s having.”
“When in doubt just say, ‘I’ll have what he’s having,’” she says, to cheers. There is another standing ovation as she leaves the stage.
2.31pm GMT
14:31
Schlepp asks how college students can “survive” in liberal institutions.
“Don’t live online, live in real time,” Conway advises. “Make sure people see something other than the top of your head.”
Join different clubs, start different clubs, write letters to the editor. Be willing to hear the word no more than you say it, she says.
She also thanks the “old timers like me” in the audience for “sticking with the conservative movement”.
2.28pm GMT
14:28
Trump replaced the “fiction of electability” with the “revelation of electricity”, she says.
There are cheers when she says he is not a typical politician and that he is going to shake up the system.
2.26pm GMT
14:26
What is Trump like in private?
Conway says he can be kind, generous, and humorous, and a family man.
“He’s a man who just absorbs information,” she says.
The “typical motivators” of a politician – “power, money and fame” – he had all that, she says, implying that doesn’t motivate him.
His biggest compliment is to say someone is “really high energy”, she says. “He works harder than anyone.”
How has Trump impacted the conservative movement? “I think by tomorrow this’ll be TPAC!” she says, to some laughter.
2.22pm GMT
14:22
Schlapp starts by asking Conway about her early life and becoming the first successful female campaign manager for a major party and her current job as counsellor to the president. Conway says that is a blessing.
She says she was raised as a strong and independent woman “without anyone saying the word ‘feminist’ or having a political conversation”.
She says it is not widely understood what a great boss Donald Trump is to women. She says that during the election women looked past “the commonality of gender” to vote for him.
She says she is not comfortable calling herself a feminist because the term is “anti-male” and “pro-abortion”.
She talks about how her mother overcame disadvantages by relying on her “moxy” – “she just figured it out”.
She claims a lot of women “just have a problem with women in power”.
Schlepp says “conservative women and men in this room – we support you”, to applause.
2.16pm GMT
14:16
Conway gets a short standing ovation as she arrives.
2.08pm GMT
14:08
Good morning from the Gaylord Convention Center just south of Washington DC. In the main hall Welcome to the Jungle by Guns ‘n’ Roses and NRA ads have given way to the pledge of allegiance and a Jimi Hendrix-style electric guitar version of The Star-Spangled Banner. Attendees – most dressed smartly, with the odd “socialism sucks” T-shirt and historical reenactment outfit in the mix – are beginning to gather for the opening speaker, White House adviser Kellyanne Conway, who will be interviewed by Mercedes Schlapp of the Washington Times.
Attendees begin to arrive at CPAC #CPAC2017 pic.twitter.com/DGufJKLHOI
CPAC 2017 has kicked off! #CPAC2017 #CPAC pic.twitter.com/ZbNNZo8puK
Updated
at 2.12pm GMT
2.17am GMT
02:17
When Donald Trump abruptly dropped out of a speaking slot at last year’s Conservative Political Action Conference amid threats of a walk-out and claims that he wasn’t a true conservative, his campaign put out a statement reassuring the annual rightwing grassroots gathering that he “looks forward to returning next year, hopefully as President of the United States”.
Trump will indeed be returning as president this year – and not alone. Like the Republican party and the Washington DC establishment before it, CPac has become subject to a hostile takeover. This bastion of libertarianism and small-government, free-trade conservatism will this week be forced to reckon with the nationalist populism that has now become the dominant force in rightwing politics in the US.
Perhaps no one besides Trump represents this strain of thought more clearly than Steve Bannon, the White House chief strategist and former Breitbart boss who will speak today alongside Reince Priebus, the White House chief of staff. The relationship between the upstart firebrand who the Democrats have called a white supremacist and the establishment former RNC chair in many ways symbolises the struggle for control of Trump’s agenda, and the way the two interact on stage will be fascinating to watch.
Opening the day is another key Trump ally, adviser to the president Kellyanne Conway, who since last year has made a career out of touring the TV studios channelling her master’s voice – and his disregard for the truth. Her coining of the phrase “alternative facts” may come to be remembered as one of the key phrases of post-truth politics, but one senses that despite this and other controversies, Trump probably enjoys and respects her scrappy style and her constant willingness to stick her neck out for him (and his daughter’s businesses).
Later comes education secretary Betsy DeVos, whose performance at her confirmation hearing was judged so weak that Mike Pence was forced to use the vice-president’s Senate casting vote to confirm a cabinet nominee for the first time. Some of the issues that so exercised Democrats – such as her support for spending public money on private schools – will hardly worry this audience, but she may be keen to shift a perception that she has failed to master her brief.
Pence will round out the day – like Priebus a traditional conservative who is likely to use the opportunity to build bridges with his fellow rightwingers by emphasising the elements of Trump’s record so far they will appreciate – his nomination of Neil Gorsuch to the supreme court, for example, or his executive order banning international NGOs from providing abortion services if they receive US funding.
In among all these Trump loyalists a former enemy has snuck in: Ted Cruz, who came first in the CPac “straw poll” of presidential candidates last year (Trump came third). Of course, Cruz eventually went on to endorse Trump, but not before being booed at the Republican convention for telling delegates to “vote your conscience” following a bad-tempered primary campaign in which the two men argued about each other’s wives and Trump infamously suggested Cruz’s father might have been involved in the assassination of JFK. The Texas senator is due to discuss the constitution today, and is likely to be more emollient, although any mention of the separation of powers or freedom of religion is bound to be interpreted as a dig at a president who has shown little appreciation for either.
Trump will address the conference tomorrow, and some in the crowd may remain to be convinced. As baffling as it may seem on the left, some traditional conservatives still fear their new president is a liberal in sheep’s clothing, who couldn’t care less about their values and ideology and is willing to spend massively and undermine free trade to meet his promises to rust belt voters who want to see manufacturing jobs return and immigration curtailed. Conservatives “don’t think he’d ever read their novel, their policy paper, their magazine article — or even listen to them for more than five minutes,” anti-tax activist Grover Norquist recently told the New York Times. But perhaps it’s more likely they will put aside their differences and make nice with the man who stunned both their party and the country. Nothing succeeds like success. More on that tomorrow.
Today’s full schedule is here, and below are some of the highlights:
9.10am: Kellyanne Conway interview
9.30am: Discussion: Fake Climate News Camouflaging an Anti-Capitalist Agenda – and What President Trump Plans To Do About It
9.30am: Wisconsin governor Scott Walker explains “How to Govern as a Conservative”
10.05 am: a panel of governors – Walker again, along with Matt Bevin of Kentucky, Sam Brownback of Kansas, and Doug Ducey of Arizona – explain how they are “reclaiming America’s promise”
11.10am: Ted Cruz discusses the constitution
11.10am: Discussion: Fake News and the Lame Stream Media
Followed by: Book signing: Liberalism or How to Turn Good Men Into Whiners, Weenies and Wimps, by Burgess Owens
11.30am: Discussion: Always on Target: 2nd Amendment Activism Made Simple
11.40am: Discussion: FREE stuff vs FREE-dom: Millenials’ Love Affair with Bernie Sanders
12.50am: Betsy DeVos – interview
1.05pm: Reince Priebus and Steve Bannon
2.30pm: Discussion: The Popular Vote - Does it Matter & What You Can Do About It
4.40pm: Discussion: Black Lives Matter, so why does the Left not support Law Enforcement?
5pm: Discussion: Russia: A Friend or Foe
7.30pm: Mike Pence