CPAC 2025 is officially in the books.
Very recently, for four days, the MAGA world descended upon National Harbor, Maryland easily spotted thanks to the sea of signature red hats.
The conference was also a who’s who of the new Trump administration.
Vice President JD Vance kicked things off, followed by a parade of rising stars like Kristi Noem, Elise Stefanik, Stephen Miller and Karoline Leavitt.
The grand finale was President Donald Trump, who spoke to a packed, standing-room-only crowd and delivered exactly what his audience came for.
However, somehow this year felt differently.
Trump and MAGA have been a fixture at CPAC since 2015, but beneath those red hats, the faces have changed.
What was once the domain of white "frat bros" in navy blazers and khakis has given way to a crowd far more diverse to include people from all backgrounds.
We must now ask this important question: Will this new coalition stick around?
Or did it just show up for Trump, and also for the purpose of just being seen?
To be clear, should this coalition choose to stick around, it could become a formidable force in American politics for years.
The energy of this crowd, compared to past conferences, especially during the McCain-Romney years when I first started attending, was second to none.
There wasn’t a spare seat in sight during most speeches, particularly during Trump's remarks. Trump could have spoken for hours, and the crowd would’ve stayed, hanging on every word.
Take his commentary on government waste uncovered by DOGE, for example.
When he rattled off examples, "$25 million dollars to promote biodiversity conservation and socially responsible behavior in Colombia" or "$10 million for Mozambique medical male circumcisions," the audience ate these shocking words up.
Can anyone imagine Mitt Romney mentioning the price tag of overseas circumcisions when he spoke at CPAC in 2012?
Doubtful.
It’s not just the content that’s changed, but the lineup and the crowd itself.
Who would have guessed back then that a "border czar" like Tom Homan would become one of the most celebrated speakers?
Or that the audience would shift from a preppy, Ivy League crowd to something far more representative of everyday America?
Yes, there were still plenty of young people attending, but now, those young people include more women, Blacks, Latinos, and Asian Americans than ever before.
But is this new, big-tent populism here for the long term?
Let's be honest, the jury is still out.
Trump himself seemed aware of MAGA’s ideological range.
He even joked about it in his speech, admitting his choice for Secretary of Labor, former Representative Lori Chavez-DeRemer, was "slightly left of center."
The crowd loved it!
Another big shift?
Economic populism is now at the heart of the conservative movement.
Once upon a time, calls for tariffs would have been met with awkward silence from free-market purists.
Not anymore.
At CPAC 2025, Trump’s threats of tariffs on Canada and Mexico weren’t just accepted, they were met with thunderous applause.
Though, as of late, Trump has received some pushback on tariffs, few can deny our returning president is doing what he did during his first term, fighting for America!
Not too long ago, Austrian economics and free-market capitalism were untouchable conservative dogma.
If you weren’t quoting Milton Friedman or Friedrich Hayek, you weren’t really in the club.
But CPAC 2025 made this clear: those days are over.
Today’s conservatives are talking about beefing up manufacturing, protecting American industry and standing up to Wall Street’s obsession with short-term profits at the expense of American workers.
And it’s not just the policies that have evolved — it’s the icons, too.
CPAC used to be a tribute to the likes of William F. Buckley and Barry Goldwater.
Their brand of conservatism, intellectual and individualist, was the standard for decades.
Ronald Reagan is still a revered figure, but the Reagan being celebrated now isn’t the one who championed free trade. Instead, he’s remembered as the Cold War Warrior, the leader who put America first on the world stage.
That’s a drastic turnaround from CPAC’s in the past and the ideology that defined these gatherings. It speaks to Trump’s unique ability to bend the MAGA movement into a diverse coalition and raises questions about what happens when he’s no longer at the top of the ticket.
History Suggests That Coalitions Like This are Often Fleeting
Reagan pulled together an impressive coalition in 1980 and 1984, bringing together conservatives, fiscal hawks, anti-Communists and the so-called "Reagan Democrats."
But after he left office, that alliance didn’t hold under George H.W. Bush.
Barack Obama did something similar in 2008 and 2012, rallying young voters and building a base that helped propel him to two victories. Yet, to this day, Democrats are still trying to recreate the excitement and broad appeal he sparked.
The GOP Should Wish for This Moment to Last
A more diverse base like the one that showed up at CPAC could help Republicans in significant ways over the long term, expanding the party’s base for years to come.
The diversity at CPAC was real. The energy was undeniable.
Whether CPAC 2025 marks the beginning of a lasting movement, or the high-water mark of Trump’s influence remains to be seen.
Politics isn’t static, neither is conservatism.
But one thing is clear: conservatism is evolving.
It's up to us to ensure it continues doing so, wholly intact.
Jacob Lane is a Republican strategist and school choice activist. He has worked for GOP campaigns at the federal, state and local levels, as well as with various PACs and nonprofits. Read Jacob Lane's Reports — More Here.