ORLANDO, Fla. -- Anticipation for Donald Trump's speech today was palpable at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando on Saturday, as speakers invoked the former president's name and policies in their remarks and attendees were hopeful he'd shed light on his political future.
Trump is scheduled to close out the conference with a speech at 2:40 p.m., according to the group's website.
Charlene Daniel-Greene and her husband drove from Pennsylvania. Recently retired, the couple hopes to get involved in conservative activism in the coming years.
But she said she was discouraged that Trump hasn't spoken out since Jan. 6 and feels his silence and the death of conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh have left a hole in the discourse.
"I'm very eager to hear what his plans are for the future. Is he going to run in '24? Is he putting together a super PAC? Is he putting together a different social media platform? I think that's what most people are interested in finding out: What does the future hold for Donald Trump, and how does that impact us as conservatives?" she said.
But she balked at the idea of him running for president again.
"I would say leading from other ways besides the presidency ... would probably be the best thing," she said.
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Steve Merczynski of New York, who sells customized "Make America Great Again" hammocks, said he wants Trump back in the White House.
"I want to hear him say he's coming back," he said. "I want him to run again."
Merczynski, who carried various red, white and blue hammocks around the hotel, said Trump is the leader of the Republican Party, and the next GOP nominee should be Trump or an ardent supporter of his policies.
Duggan Flanakin, director of policy research at the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow, said he hoped Trump would blast what he called "pork spending" in the covid-relief bill, which passed the House early Saturday and is headed to the Senate.
"Those are issues perhaps that we'll look for the president to bring up, because they're not being discussed," Flanakin said.
It wasn't hard to find references to Trump throughout gathering areas at the conference at the Hyatt Regency Orlando. Shirts had silhouettes of the former president, others wore buttons with his name or likeness. Most of those in attendance Saturday wore face coverings as hotel staffers circulated with signs bearing reminders.Some people delivered messages like "masked but not silenced," while others said "MAGA" or offered support for the Second Amendment.
Enrique Tarrio, chairman of the neo-fascist Proud Boys, gathered with a few dozen Trump supporters across the street from the conference. Tarrio said he was in town for other events happening outside the meeting. "It's not my cup of tea," he said, when asked if he was participating in the conference.
Several people waved Trump flags as pro-Trump rapper Bryson Gray shot a music video. A handful of Black Lives Matter protesters chanted at the group, but the conflict didn't escalate beyond the exchanging of words.
The conference was supposed to be kicked off Saturday with remarks from U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., but he was removed from the agenda at the last minute, an official with the conference confirmed.
The senator tweeted later that he had to cancel because of "an unexpected family issue."
"I was really looking forward to it," Rubio said in a tweet. "But as I told [conference Chairman Matt Schlapp,] they should move CPAC to Florida permanently."
Rubio wasn't added to the speakers' list until Friday. He has gone out of his way to stay in Trump's good graces since their presidential primary battle in 2016, but until recently had been facing a possible primary challenge by Trump's daughter Ivanka, who is moving to Miami.
Earlier this month, The New York Times reported that Ivanka Trump told Rubio she would not run.