Attendees at the 2026 Conservative Political Action Conference seem to be dazed and confused after a disastrously chaotic month for President Donald Trump. In the last 30 days, he has started a war in the Middle East, deployed federal agents to airports, and refused to end the partial government shutdown.While speaking from the CPAC stage Friday in Grapevine, Texas, American Conservative Union chairman Matt Schlapp asked a question he apparently thought would hype up the crowd.“How many of you would like to see impeachment hearings?” The crowd erupted in cheers.“No,” Schlapp responded, shaking his head. “That was the wrong answer. Let me try it again. How many of you would like to see impeachment hearings?” he asked the crowd for a second time.Again, he was met with cheers. “NOOO!” Schlapp responded with a chuckle. He dropped the question and hastily moved on, seemingly accepting that Trump’s base apparently doesn’t know what impeachment means—despite the fact that the president has now been impeached twice.An attempt by @mschlapp to hype up the CPAC crowd goes horribly wrong —"How many of you would like to see impeachment hearings?"[cheers]"That was the wrong answer..." pic.twitter.com/PQUCThdgV3— Andrew Feinberg (@AndrewFeinberg) March 27, 2026Though they’re united by red MAGA caps and American flag attire, the crowd at CPAC appears to be uncharacteristically disengaged after Trump’s tumultuous first year back in office. Younger and older members are divided over the war in Iran, affordability is plummeting, and the Epstein files have raised suspicions across MAGA. One young attendee told CNN many of his fellow Trump supporters now “can’t stand the guy.” It’s a starkly different mood from last year’s conference, where many declared Trump’s election was the start of the golden years.In a separate instance Thursday, the crowd again did not know when or how to cheer. In a conversation with White House border czar Tom Homan, CPAC host Melody Schlapp asked how Trump immigration policies compared to the “Biden years.”Waiting for a reaction, Schlapp paused and turned her head to the crowd. She was met with silence. “I’m not hearing a boo when I say Joe Biden, people! Come on! We do audience participation here!”
Executives are still trying to layer AI onto their existing businesses rather than ripping up old models and reimagining them, EY’s Julie Teigland said.