'MAGA carnival': Here's who'll join Trump at this week's CPAC

Donald Trump and a host of Republican politicians, right-wing media celebrities, foreign leaders and conspiracy theorists are set to appear this week at the Conservative Political Action Conference.

Rumored Trump running mate frontrunners Rep. Elise Stefanik (NY), Arizona Senate hopeful Kari Lake, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem and Sen. J.D. Vance (OH) will all speak at the event, held at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland. And they'll be joined by Sen. Tommy Tuberville (AL), Reps. Jim Jordan (OH) and Matt Gaetz (FL), and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell.

"This event was once a calendar highlight, as people from all factions and all parts of the country gathered to meet, debate, and network. Now, under the leadership of its embattled chairman Matt Schlapp, it has devolved into a MAGA carnival where only one part of the conservative movement is welcome and dogma has replaced debate," wrote conservative Henry Olsen last week for the National Review.

Schlapp faces multiple allegations of sexual assault and misconduct, including a $9 million lawsuit from a GOP campaign staffer who says the CPAC chairman assaulted him during a car ride, and court documents show he was accused twice before but the American Conservative Union took no action after the incidents were reported to staffers.

ALSO READ: Prison president: How Donald Trump could serve from behind bars

Former U.K. prime minister Liz Truss and Brexit gadfly Nigel Farage are among the foreign speakers, who will also include Argentinian president Javier Milei and El Salvadoran president Nayib Bukele.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson and former White House strategist Steve Bannon will also appear.

Failed Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, a critic of efforts to aid Ukraine against Russia, will be keynote speaker at the annual dinner honoring former president Ronald Reagan.

Conservative media personalities Megyn Kelly, Mark Levin, Jack Posobiec and Sebastian Gorka will also attend the event.

CPAC Vice Chair Charlie Gerow stepped down last year after allegations of misconduct surfaced against chairman Matt Schlapp.

Gerow originally stood by Schlapp when the allegations first came out, according to a letter Gerow wrote — but he soon said he believed that Schlapp was leading CPAC to destruction, especially when he learned CPAC was gearing up to cover Schlapp's legal expenses.

“Tragically, for those who are encouraging Matt to ‘fight this to the end’ the costs are already staggering,” wrote Gerow. “Earlier this year, we were advised that the legal strategy of Matt's counsel would ‘blow this case out of the water’ within 30 days. That obviously did not happen. Instead, huge legal bills continue to mount.”

In addition, Politiconoted that “Treasurer Bob Beauprez resigned from his position in May [2023], citing concerns over the organization’s financial reports, while Randy Neugebauer and Mike Rose also stepped down from the board” last year.