Meeting of the radical right Trump supporters take on Selensky and Europe
The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC ) is regarded as a class reunion for Trump supporters.
Image: dpa
The conference takes place in a huge event complex near the US capital Washington and is a rendezvous for the American right.
Image: dpa
Donald Trump is celebrated as a hero at CPAC.
Image: dpa
Keaton Butowsky from Texas thinks that the USA is being treated unfairly when it comes to NATO spending.
Image: dpa
Gabriel Durand has traveled to the USA from France to attend the conference.
Image: dpa
The former US ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell, once again draws attention to himself at CPAC with pithy words.
Image: dpa
The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC ) is regarded as a class reunion for Trump supporters.
Image: dpa
The conference takes place in a huge event complex near the US capital Washington and is a rendezvous for the American right.
Image: dpa
Donald Trump is celebrated as a hero at CPAC.
Image: dpa
Keaton Butowsky from Texas thinks that the USA is being treated unfairly when it comes to NATO spending.
Image: dpa
Gabriel Durand has traveled to the USA from France to attend the conference.
Image: dpa
The former US ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell, once again draws attention to himself at CPAC with pithy words.
Image: dpa
Moderate tones are rare at the annual rendezvous of the American right. "America First" is the overriding theme - and not just when it comes to domestic issues. Guests from overseas are also on stage.
22.02.2025, 19:51
dpa
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- At the annual CPAC conference, the American right celebrates Donald Trump's hard line in the Ukraine war and criticizes the EU.
- Trump's conservative isolationism is not only socially acceptable, it is met with unbridled enthusiasm.
- One of the main criticisms is that the USA is treated unfairly in terms of NATO spending and has to contribute a disproportionately high share to the defense of other countries
Applause for isolationism, criticism of the EU: at a conference near the capital Washington, the American right celebrates Donald Trump's hard line in the Ukraine war. The annual event is a rallying point for right-wing nationalists, conspiracy theorists and the religious right, where moderate tones are not usually heard. This time, the domestic political culture war at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) has an unusually international flavor.
Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine is by no means the main topic in the red-white-and-blue decorated scenery, but is nevertheless brought up remarkably often. US President Trump and his supporters have nothing to do with traditional alliances - and the audience's reaction leaves no doubt about that.
Applause when Trump's disparagement of Ukrainian head of state Volodymyr Zelenskyi as a "dictator" is defended on stage. Applause when the former US ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell, confidently asserted that the security guarantees for Ukraine should not focus on American soldiers and weapons, but above all on "American businessmen making deals on the ground".
"America first" as the motto of foreign policy
It is the typical style of the man who is very popular with virtually all the guests here: Donald Trump. He has recently made headlines in particular by hurling invective at Zelensky and blaming the Ukrainian leadership itself for Russia's war. Trump has set his sights on the country's raw material riches and is linking US aid for war-torn Ukraine to the exploitation of its valuable reserves of rare earths. Zelensky clearly did not want to accept this - and thus incurred the displeasure of the most powerful man in the world, who is not known for tolerating dissent.
Ukraine is a recurring theme at the CPAC conference, just as Europe is a recurring theme. At the event in the huge National Harbor event complex, Trump's conservative isolationism is not only socially acceptable, it is met with unbridled enthusiasm. It is the antithesis of the interventionist foreign policy of Republican predecessors such as Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush. "America first" is the new motto - no consideration is given to long-standing partners.
On stage, Vice President J.D. Vance, who offended the European allies at the Munich Security Conference just over a week ago, rages: "The entire German defence is subsidized by the American taxpayer." The transatlantic alliance now seems to have more opponents than advocates in the White House. And Trump's security advisor Mike Waltz left no doubt during his appearance that Selensky would very likely soon sign a raw materials agreement with the USA.
The new US administration celebrates the law of the jungle. Support from the USA should only come in exchange for services in return, which will be enforced if necessary: America first, and all for themselves, so to speak. This does not mean that no international guests will be speaking at CPAC - quite the opposite: the solidarity between the American and international right is evident here. The foreign representatives - such as Argentina's ultra-liberal President Javier Milei and the Russia-friendly Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico, who accuses the Europeans of warmongering - also stand primarily for nationalist politics.
"Trump's election should be a wake-up call for Europeans"
Like the heads of state and government, 24-year-old Frenchman Gabriel Durand also came across the Atlantic to National Harbor - with the "Patriots for Europe Foundation". The Paris-based European foundation is close to the far-right parliamentary group in the European Parliament, pursues a national conservative agenda and is committed to fighting the allegedly dominant "woke" ideology of the left, among other things.
Durand thinks the Ukraine line of the new US administration makes perfect sense. "What we want is peace," he says. Of course he stands behind the Ukrainian people - as does the foundation. But the interests of Europe and the United States are not necessarily congruent.
On the table in front of him are blue and white stickers with the words "Make Europe Great Again" - a reference to Trump's slogan "Make America Great Again". But what does it mean for Durand to make Europe "great again"? His answer: "Donald Trump's election should be a wake-up call for us Europeans." The EU is facing the same challenges as the USA - such as "massive immigration" - and must defend "European identity, European democracy and the sovereignty of every nation".
"The USA is stuck with the bill"
Migration also played a central role for Keaton Butowsky. The 27-year-old traveled to the CPAC conference from Dallas, Texas, to exchange ideas with like-minded people. At the beginning, Butowsky made it clear that he did not support all of Trump's statements or actions. In particular, he considers his often harsh rhetoric to be excessive. However, as a Texan - the state is located directly on the border with Mexico - he has a clear stance on migration: no one should enter the country without permission.
As far as Ukraine is concerned, Butowsky expresses a feeling that he shares with many Americans - and which Trump also serves with his populist policies: the USA is treated unfairly in terms of NATO spending and has to contribute a disproportionately high share to the defense of other countries while "fighting several wars across an ocean". In particular, countries like Germany that are "on the front line" are not paying their fair share, he complains. "And then it is the USA that is left footing the bill."
If all allies had complied with the NATO agreements and invested accordingly in defense, the situation would be different today, Butowsky believes. "If every country had equipped itself appropriately, then the whole thing wouldn't have been such a big problem."
