CPAC 2022 kicks off today from Orlando with a slate of speakers including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Sen. Marsha Blackburn, Sen. Ted Cruz, and ending tonight with Sen. Josh Hawley.
Live Stream (CPAC 2022 Day 1)
Alternate Live Streams: CPAC, RSBNetwork.com, C-SPAN
Here’s the full schedule for all the big Thursday speakers:
- 9:10 am – Ben Furguson, radio and talk show host
- 11:00 am – James O’Keefe, President of Project Veritas
- 1:10 pm – Charlie Gerow, ACU First Vice Chairman
- 1:30 pm – Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida
- 1:50 pm – Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson of North Carolina
- 2:05 pm – Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee
- 4:15 pm – Kimberly Guilfoyle
- 4:30 pm – Alex Berenson, former New York Times writer and author
- 5:05 pm – Wayne LaPierre, CEO of the NRA
- 5:20 pm – Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas
- 5:45 pm – Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri
Among the speakers on Thursday, DeSantis, Cruz, and Hawley each have likely presidential ambitions in their future. If not 2024, then perhaps 2028 depending on the timing but the earlier timeframe seems more likely.
One particular note today is that Ron DeSantis will only be speaking for 20 minutes in an afternoon slot. Some have wondered why he wasn’t given or didn’t take a larger speaking slot considering his clear presidential aspirations heading into 2024. It’s entirely possible that DeSantis, wishing to avoid any unnecessary conflicts with Donald Trump, chose to speak on the opening day of the event leaving a larger weekend speaking slot for the former president.
Both men, DeSantis and Trump, have done their best to tamp down reports of rifts surrounding possible 2024 presidential campaigns. Most GOP hopefuls have signaled they would choose not to run in 2024 if Trump makes the decision to enter the race, though DeSantis has demurred on that question.
This speculation will culminate on Sunday afternoon when the annual CPAC Straw Poll takes place.
Stay tuned for live updates.
