Despite the emergence of a Republican presidential field willing to take on former President Donald Trump, the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) 2023 was more unabashedly MAGA than ever. Trump presence was felt throughout, from the MAGA Mall selling merchandise with his face and name to attendees wearing T-R-U-M-P shirts. When Trump took the stage, the crowd leapt to their feet, chanting “Trump!”

Trump, who announced he is running for president again, could hardly contain his enthusiasm when he spoke. He hit his usual talking points, from dismantling the “Deep State” and dismantling “woke tyranny” to cutting back on foreign aid. He also took a surprisingly political tone for a non-election year by hitting out establishment Republicans, calling the pre-Trump GOP the “party of Paul Ryan, Karl Rove and Jeb Bush.”