After a month laying low at Mar-a-Lago, Trump will make his first speech since he left the White House next week at a conference of top conservatives

by · Business Insider
  • Trump is set to speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Florida next week.
  • It will be his first public appearance since leaving the White House last month.
  • He is expected to talk about the future of the Republican party and criticize Joe Biden's policies.
  • Visit the Business section of Insider for more stories.

Former President Donald Trump is set to speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Orlando, Florida, next week. It will be his first public appearance since he left the White House.

Trump will make his address on the final day of the three-day event, which will run from February 25 to 28, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters.

"He'll be talking about the future of the Republican party and the conservative movement," the source said, according to Reuters. "Also look for the 45 th president to take on President [Joe] Biden's disastrous amnesty and border policies."

Since leaving the White House last month, Trump has been cocooned in his Mar-A-Lago residence. He is said to be relaxing, calling friends, binging cable news, and spending a significant amount of time on the golf course, according to a recent Politico report.

The former president has been keeping a relatively low-profile even throughout his second impeachment trial, which resulted in his acquittal.

The only time he spoke to media was last week when he called into outlets such as Fox News and Newsmax after the death of conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh.

But recent reports say that Trump has been laying low because he is plotting his post-impeachment revenge tour. The CPAC stage will be the perfect opportunity for him to launch it.

The lineup of speakers at the event so far consists of vocal Trump allies, including Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Donald Trump Jr. is also set to speak and be introduced by his girlfriend, Kimberly Guilfoyle, Insider, reported previously.

Many of the conservative politicians and influencers are also likely 2024 contenders looking to maintain a public profile in the meantime.

Meanwhile, Former Vice President Mike Pence has declined an invitation to speak at the conference, two sources told CNN.

Pence has been planning to stay under the radar for the next six months, one source said. 

Trump lost the 2020 election to President Joe Biden, who beat him by 306-232 in the electoral college and more than 7 million ballots in the popular vote. The former president has refused to accept that result.