Ahead of a jubilant CPAC, GOP divisions linger

A day-long gathering that celebrates conservative politics is set to put the newly energized Republican Party fully on display a month into President Trump's second term.

The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), which begins Thursday in Maryland, will offer something of a victory lap for Trump and the GOP after the president decisively won battleground states and made inroads with key voting blocs.

Yet, even as Republicans rally around the president at CPAC this week, fault lines have emerged within the party and even among his allies in recent weeks around key issues like foreign policy and some of Trump's nominees.

"Unlike the left, which requires unanimity of opinion, the political right in this country, whether it's Congresswoman Hageman and her colleagues in the House and Senate, or whether it's us at Heritage on the outside and sort of the institutional academic right, if you will, are comfortable with civil discourse," Heritage Foundation president Kevin Roberts told reporters on a call alongside Hageman while in London when asked about the recent policy disputes.

Republicans are converging at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center this week to take part in the longstanding GOP event; a forum traditionally served as a hotspot for Republican activists and candidate hopefuls alike but, in more recent years, has morphed into more of a celebration around Trump and likeminded Republicans.

And it's at that conference, at times dubbed "TPAC," where the president's allies and supporters are likely to use this year's event as an opportunity to tout the party's electoral wins and the Trump administration's frenzy of policies since Trump took office a month ago, while underscoring the hold that the president has had around the GOP.

The celebratory mood of CPAC will offer a stark contrast to that of the Democratic Party, which is mired in a leadership void, particularly after President Biden and Vice President Harris left the White House and as the party grapples with how it lost key voting blocs.

Democrats have started taking some steps to reorient themselves, including electing their new chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), Ken Martin. Martin is going on a multistate tour to connect with state parties and labor leaders in addition to campaigning with local candidates.

Yet, few Democrats have emerged as the party's guiding north star for how to win voters back and oppose Trump in a second administration.

"Right now, the Democrats seem to have no idea where to go, and it looks like they're just hoping that Trump blows himself up," said Trump campaign alum and Republican strategist Brian Seitchik.

In a midterm "that may be enough to take the House back," Seitchik said, "I hope it doesn't, but it may. But it sure feels like they really have no vision for America."

At the same time, fissures remain within the GOP. A more apparent example is the Principles First summit, which was set to take place nearly at the same time as CPAC and was located close by in Washington, D.C., offering two different Republican Parties side-by-side.

The event, which bills itself as "a three-day grassroots summit on conserving America's liberal tradition & the path to a principled future for our country," features predominantly the anti-Trump faction of the GOP, including former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) and former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), in addition to a handful of Democrats.

"I think it invites a serious policy conversation," explained former Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer, who's vocally pushed back against GOP election denialism of the summit, compared to CPAC's "fire-up-the-crowd type talking lines."

Its speakers are a far cry from CPAC, which will include many of Trump's allies, including Vice President Vance and Republican National Committee (RNC) chair Michael Whatley.

However, divisions within the party have also noticeably bubbled up in recent weeks- even among Trump's most reliable backers- over some of Trump's nominees and on issues like foreign policy.

For one, Elbridge Colby and Darren Beattie, tapped for top positions at the Pentagon and State Department respectively, have drawn scrutiny ahead of their confirmations. Colby has received attention over past views around the country's military posture toward the Middle East and Europe and views on Iran, while Beattie has received scrutiny over past controversial statements he's made and his prior attacks against some Senate Republicans.

So it was notable when Charlie Kirk, the founder and president of the conservative Turning Point USA, accused staunch Trump supporter Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) of "working behind the scenes" to block Colby from being confirmed in the Senate.

News outlets have noted sources saying that Cotton has looked to address policy concerns with the White House and that the Arkansas Republican "wants all defense noms to be on the same page as Trump."

Some of Trump's allies recently also appeared hesitant over Trump's proposal to take over Gaza and relocate Palestinians.

"One thing I will say, there's very little appetite that I've seen in the United States Senate for America to take over Gaza in any way, shape or form," Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), another Trump ally, said while in Israel over the weekend.

Some Republicans have brushed off the recent disputes, noting that common agreement on every issue is naturally hard.

"We need to stay together as much as we possibly can. I think that's very important," said former Rep. Bradley Byrne (R-Ala.). "But I don't think we should, you know, wig out because we've got one person who's normally a part of -- a big part of the group who's not going along with one particular thing."

Byrne, himself noted he disagreed with recent cuts to funding within the National Institute of Health (NIH), cuts of which are currently being paused by a judge amid pending litigation. Funding restraints could have implications for major research institutions, particularly at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

"What I would hope the president and the people working with him would do is pick and choose. You know, what are the real problems here? Because we're not going to solve everything in one term," Byrne said.

While differences over issues like foreign policy may not be new – the Ukraine-Russia conflict offering a lingering example between GOP interventionists and isolationists – the differences may foreshadow some of the biggest fights ahead within the GOP under a second Trump term.

And even as Republicans acknowledge there's room for policy disagreements, some members of the party warn there are ultimately two roads ahead: One with the party or one without.

"What I see is it's time for people like Sen. [Mitch] McConnell, respectfully, to get on the train," Roberts of the Heritage Foundation told reporters in discussing some Republicans' divisions over foreign policy.

"The train's left the station, and the train isn't just the President of the United States, all due respect to him. It's the conservative movement."

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