At the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) former president Donald Trump is headlining a diminished gathering of conservatives, many of whom are 2024 hopefuls. Despite the changing landscape of the Republican Party, the conference still promises some notable moments. However, other prominent figures have chosen to keep their distance from the conference, opting instead to attend the rival donor retreat of the anti-tax Club for Growth.

The divide in the Republican Party is reflective of a growing tension between the extremists and the so-called "normies", as columnist Charlie Sykes dubbed them. This split was highlighted by the notable absences of Ron DeSantis, Mike Pence and Ronna McDaniel, who chose to attend the Club for Growth Retreat instead. While prominent conservatives such as Nikki Haley, Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor Greene will be attending, so too will fringe figures such as Kari Lake, the 2022 Arizona gubernatorial nominee and election