Trump to speak in Orlando at CPAC, America’s No. 1 event for conservatives.

Country’s biggest event for conservatives likely to be his first live appearance since leaving office

The Conservative Political Action Conference, considered the biggest annual gathering of American political conservatives, is set to host former President Donald Trump in Orlando for what would likely be his first live appearance since leaving office.

CPAC is still working on details, but spokesman Ian Walters said Saturday the conference is aiming toward a Sunday afternoon speaking time on Feb. 28 to close out the four-day event at the Hyatt Regency Orlando that starts Thursday.

Last year’s CPAC conference in Maryland was the site of the first real coronavirus scare in the Washington, D.C., political world, with an infected attendee getting one handshake away from the president.

Now, a year into the pandemic, Maryland’s COVID-19 restrictions have closed CPAC’s regular hotel, so conference-goers are packing their

bags and heading to a more permissive place: Orlando.

“It’s family-friendly, it’s warm, and a lot of folks have told me that they’ve not had much fun since CPAC 2020,” Walters said. “Folks are excited to go to a restaurant. If you’re in D.C., it’s sometimes at 25% capacity. Ditto for Maryland, Virginia … [and] New York.”

Despite concerns about the coronavirus, as well as the UK variant spreading in Florida, Walters said the decision to travel is up to the individual attendees.

“We trust you to make your own decision,” he said. Whether people choose to attend or not, “We still think of [CPAC] as a family reunion for the conservative movement.”

Masks mandated

Republican heavy-hitters ranging from Floridians Gov. Ron DeSantis and U.S. Sen. Rick Scott to national figures such as former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and embattled Texas U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz are scheduled to appear.

Other scheduled speakers include a Dallas salon owner and New Jersey gym owner who refused to close their businesses amid a shutdown order. There’s also the South Dakota governor, Kristi Noem, who defended people who don’t want to wear masks.

And there’s Charlie Kirk, chair of a conservative youth group, Turning Point USA, that mocked “leftist” mask-wearers on Twitter — until a co-founder died of COVID-19, and the group’s tweet was deleted.

Despite that lineup of people either skeptical of or outright opposed to such policies, Walters said the conference will follow Orange County ordinances, including mandating mask-wearing and all other required safety measures for all attendees.

All staff, speakers and news media will be required to wear a mask indoors when not eating or drinking, Walters said, and anyone who can’t wear a mask for medical reasons will be provided with a face shield.

The venue will provide masks for anyone who does not have one, a Hyatt spokesperson added in a statement. An attendee who refuses to comply will be asked to leave the event or return to their room.

Each attendee will also be asked to sign a code of conduct written by CPAC, which includes Orange County’s face-covering mandate.

Attendees will be temperature-checked and asked to fill out a questionnaire, chairs in ballrooms will be six feet apart, and all registration is touchless. The event will also feature air purification and filtration systems.

But the conference has not been coordinating with health officials at the state level.

The Florida Department of Health had not heard from either CPAC or the Hyatt Regency in Orlando in the last six months, Kent Donahue, the public information officer for the department, wrote in an email.

‘Even more of a threat’

Wes Hodge, the Orange County Democratic chair, said his organization’ s biggest concern is for employees serving the conference.

“They’re going to have to deal with these people,” Hodge said. “Because Republicans, with our governor included, do not believe in mask mandates, do not believe in making sure that they protect others. Because they see it as an infringement