CPAC Kicks Off … Without Trump Arrow

Amid historically low approval ratings, Trump is absent from CPAC

Today is the first day of the 2026 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) and Donald Trump is poised to skip the conference for the first time in 10 years. As Trump's deadly and costly war with Iran rages on and his economy continues to tank, Trump's approval ratings have plummeted. Trump's inroads with the coalition that delivered him the presidency in 2024 have disappeared and Republicans are readying for a disastrous midterm.

Just last night, voters in Trump's home district in Florida, which Trump won by 11 points in 2024, rejected his disastrous agenda and elected a Democrat.

A new poll revealed that Trump's approval rating hit an abysmal 36%, the lowest point of his second term. Trump's approval on the economy (29%) and cost of living (25%) hit record lows. Nearly three times as many Americans say the economy is getting worse as say it is getting better. By 23 points, Americans oppose the war in Iran, and Trump is 20 points underwater on his handling of it. Before Trump even started his war with Iran, one in five Americans who voted for Trump in 2024 said they regretted their vote.

In response, DNC Rapid Response Director Kendall Witmer released the following statement:

"Donald Trump has broken one promise after another - and even his own supporters are fed up. Trump told Americans he would lower prices, create jobs, and put an end to forever wars - and he's delivered on none of it. Instead, he put working families last while prioritizing his own interests and used the presidency as his personal piggy bank to give massive handouts to his wealthy donors. Now, as his approval ratings plummet to historic lows - even by his own standards - he's hiding from what should be a room filled with his strongest supporters."

On the campaign trail, Trump said that he would lower prices on "Day One" and promised to be the "pro-peace" president that would end endless wars. Over a year since he took office, prices are soaring, jobs are disappearing, and a recent report shows that under Trump, working families will pay over $2,500 in additional costs this year due to his reckless tariffs - a 44% increase from the $1,700 families already shelled out last year. Meanwhile, Trump's deadly and costly war with Iran has claimed the lives of 13 U.S. service members and injured approximately 290, while Americans at home foot the bill for his unpopular war.