FSN Packages Feed: Bannon, Priebus And Pence Warm Up CPAC For Trump

Friday, February 24, 2017

Bannon, Priebus And Pence Warm Up CPAC For Trump

Thousands of American conservatives are gathering in a conference centre just outside Washington DC for the country's biggest annual gathering of right wing activists.

CPAC, or the Conservative Political Action Conference, will see an address from President Donald Trump on Friday, but several key members of his administration have already appeared, including the elusive Steve Bannon.

Script:

Call it a boot camp, call it a rally, call it a merchandising opportunity - CPAC is a chance for America's conservatives to come together in their thousands, and in 2017 it's quite the celebration.

Not least because of a rare public appearance by the man seen as the shadowy presence behind the President, Steve Bannon, and the man he's rumoured to hate. Chief of Staff Reince Priebus.

The two took pains to talk about how well they actually get along, with Mr. Bannon blaming the press for any misconceptions:

Bannon SOT

And it's no wonder he feels the need to reassure this audience that the Trump administration is going according to plan. Not so long ago, when he was editor of the alt-right website Breitbart, Mr Bannon was all but banished from CPAC - so much so that he set up a rival conference at a hotel down the road.

It's all change now though, and Mr. Priebus got roars of approval when talked of Mr. Trump fulfilling his promise to appoint a conservative justice to the Supreme Court:

Priebus SOT

And then it was time for another traditional conservative to rally the base. Vice President Mike Pence made sure to highlight a favourite conservative cause in his speech - repealing Obamacare:

Pence SOT

Nonetheless, Republican Senators across the country have been facing angry crowds at town hall meetings during the Congressional recess - here's what faced Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in Kentucky:

Town Hall SOT

Many of the protestors want to know when the repeal of Obamacare is going to happen and crucially, what the replacement plan will look like - questions Mr. Pence didn't, and perhaps, couldn't answer as the crowds applauded him at CPAC.

He got them on their feet with a rousing recitation of Mr. Trump's achievements and goals:

Pence SOT

It's that last big ticket item that's being breathlessly awaited not only by the activists at CPAC but also by voters out in those town halls - but no one at this conference, on Capitol Hill or in the White House yet seems entirely sure when it'll be delivered. Lorna Shaddick, New York.