Annual US Conservative forum to see participation from Bolsonaro and more

The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) kicked off at a plush riverfront hotel in the Washington suburbs on Thursday. The annual event this round will see those at the conference talk about everyone who is or will be standing against Donald Trump in the Republican nominee race for the 2024 presidential elections.

People in the CPAC auditorium could be heard discussing several issues, such as the opioid epidemic, the rising threat from China and the immigration crisis. However, most of the debated centered around the so-called "wedge" issues such as transgender athletes, "woke" education and perceived attacks on religious liberty. Many of them aimed their guns at Americans perceived as too progressive.

The CPAC event will witness speeches from a host of right-wing A-listers for three days. The most prominent name includes Brazil's recently-defeated leader Jair Bolsonaro. However, the biggest names expected to challenge Trump at the primaries are not attending the event. The numbers show that Trump is ahead of his other rivals, including potential candidates Mike Pence and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

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Panelists at the event in Maryland's National Harbor called for the removal or jailing of numerous conservative names, from President Joe Biden to former government scientist Anthony Fauci. Texas Senator Ted Cruz called for Fauci to be jailed over health curbs following the Covid-19 pandemic, that had "ruined more lives than any bureaucrat in the history of our nation."

Cruz also slammed Biden for not caring enough about the Ohio train derailment that led to fears of environmental contamination. He took a jibe at Biden by saying that the administration would have been quicker to help if the locals had been "transgender tech workers."

Conservative columnist and lawyer Kurt Schlichter accused the press of being "the enemy" and joked about "hunting the media for sport." Pennsylvania congressman Scott Perry warned liberals that they should be "quaking in fear" over the "firestorm" he wanted to unleash on them.
"They've got to be worried," he said. "They've got to be losing weight because they're not eating, because they're worried they're going to end up going to jail."

More than 100 mostly pro-Trump speakers will be speaking at the CPACbefore the end of Saturday, including former cabinet secretaries and numerous far-right lawmakers.

(With inputs from agencies)

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