ORLANDO, Fla. (WFLA/NBC) — This year’s Conservative Political Action Conference is set to kick off in Orlando on Thursday evening.
The annual conference is the largest gathering of Republican and conservative leaders. Organizers announced in December the event would not take place in the nation’s capital as usual and would move to Florida instead.
“We’re swapping D.C. lockdowns for sunshine and freedom,” organizers tweeted.
This year’s conference will see a number of prominent conservative Republicans speak, including former President Donald Trump. It will be Trump’s first major speech since he left the White House and moved to Florida earlier this year.
Trump’s speech is scheduled for Sunday afternoon, one of the last items on the agenda. Several former White House staff members from the Trump administration will also be in attendance including former White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders and former Director of the White House National Economic Council Larry Kudlow.
Florida Republicans featured in this year’s lineup include Rep. Matt Gaetz, Rep. Greg Steube, Sen. Rick Scott, Sen. Marco Rubio and Gov. Ron DeSantis. Other high-profile Republican lawmakers like Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri will also speak.
The conference is set to open Thursday evening with a Jewish prayer service followed by an international reception and a welcome reception.