Jane Coaston (2:52)

In your experience, what is CPAC typically like and who actually goes? What is it supposed to be doing for conservatives?

Ben Jacobs (3:01)

CPAC has had many functions throughout the years. I mean we can go back that it started in the 70s. These were the insurgent conservatives brawling behind Ronald Reagan, taking on the deep state of left liberal Gerald Ford. In more recent times, as the conservative movement sort of has subsumed the Republican Party, it's become a factual battle battleground a little bit. In the 2000 and tens, you had star polls where Ron Paul winger the party would win, that this would be swarmed with young Americans for Liberty, these young Ron Paul kids, later Rand Paul kids. And it was a sense of some of where the vibes were. They didn't have the base of the movement. Ron Paul was not winning the stolid Dutch farmers in northwest Iowa. But it was a sense of where some of the activists were. This was young people. This also was a big trade convention that there were candidates looking for donors, consultants looking for candidates, that this was a big place to meet and greet. In recent years, it's become very much a one stop, one ban shop for Trump. This is MAGA all the way. It's not really a place where things are debated. This is just pure maga. You are as likely to see someone who stormed the Capitol on January 6th as you are someone who voted for Ron DeSantis, let alone Nikki Haley in 2024.

Jane Coaston (4:19)

I know Donald Trump wasn't there. No Trumps were there. But why do you think it was just so different this year? I've been reading a lot of the reporting and even right wing outlets are saying that it was just a complete train wreck and juiceless.

Ben Jacobs (4:33)

Look, it's been going in this direction for a while. The organization has gone through its own internal struggles with allegations of misconduct against Matt Schlapp, who leads it. That there's been sort of turning Point USA rising up and taking a lot of mojo. That to paraphrase Daniel Day Lewis, TP USA drank CPAC's milkshake. There's not many students at this point that this is sort of a narrow and hour and slice and this is really a legacy brand. This is a vestigial brand of something that used to mean something much bigger in American politics. Not quite there anymore. I think the best example of this is Nigel Farage, the leader of the Reform Party, used to be a CPAC regular. Now he's potentially the next prime minister. He was nowhere to be found. But instead, Liz Truss kept on appearing on panels and at parties. Liz Truss, of course, who was prime minister for 40 days and lost a popularity contest to a head of lettuce. That's the sense of where this is, that this is trading on nostalgia in name brand as opposed to having any juice that the juice has slowly dried out. And once you lost Trump, that made it official.

Jane Coaston (5:46)

What issue or topic appeared to be most prominent for those who actually attended cpac?

Ben Jacobs (5:51)

If the panels were a lot about rallying around Trump, the speakers rallying around Trump, there was a lot of concern about Sharia law. One Texas elected official went right into pretty blatant Islamophobia. There was stuff about trans issues. But Iran, the military conflict in Iran, this was not something that was debating conflict. And even the people who were against our involvement, involvement in the conflict were sort of guarded about it. Matt Gaetz warned against ground troops in Iran, that it's sort of nothing about where we are now. And Steve Bannon just sort of loomed darkly about the idea of your sons and daughters could be going off to fight along the Straits of Hormuz without sort of weighing in, but trying to be clear where he was. But this was at least a quarter Iranian Maricus that normally these things make America great again. Lock her. This year was Javed Shah. It was a really different event with how much these folks, because Reza Pahlavi, the son of the late Shah, was a speaker and they really swarmed the event. And you know, this was as much line and sun as stars and stripes.

Jane Coaston (7:05)

It's pretty wild that you have an event that is within recent memory so focused on America first, and then it kind of seems to be taken over by people who are talking a lot about reclaiming a throne that hasn't been claimed since 1979.

Ben Jacobs (7:21)

Yes. No. And it was of course, ironic that Pahlavi was speaking at CPAC as you had liberals at no Kings demonstrations, which made a pretty interesting vibe. I mean, CPAC has in recent years become much more international that it's sort of the idea of Steve Bannon's populist Model un. But there are always sort of bits. There are chunks of Hungarians, there are chunks of Brazilians. There are a bunch of Salvadorians who showed up in Washington D.C. to to cheer Bukele. But it wasn't overwhelming. This really was entirely overwhelming. You drive into the event, there was a setup right outside with alternating Iranian pre1979 Iranian flags with the lion and sun and American flags. One day you had a stretch where there was just alternating pictures of Trump, Reza Pahlavi, Bibi, Marco Rubio coming along the way. And then once you got in, this was, you know, 25% Iranians would be my guess that it was sort of really distinctly there. And it meant that the room was absolutely packed for Reza Pahlavi. And afterwards it emptied relatively quickly. They were there for Pahlavi. They were not there to see Rick Grenell or Liz Truss or any of the other sort of usual suspect CPAC speakers.

Jane Coaston (8:45)

When you talk to people and you asked about the Iran war, did it seem like there was any concern about losing the support of those people who weren't in support of the war?

Ben Jacobs (8:57)

There was a little bit concern. But look, this is such a pro Trump crowd, like, let's double back that, you know, you're talking about whether people who are ready to overturn the 2020 election have concerns about overthrowing the Iranian regime.

Jane Coaston (9:11)

Good point.

Ben Jacobs (9:12)

This is people who, they may have sort of qualms like, I don't know what ground troops, I don't want this. But they're trust seen in Trump. They're seeing that there's a master plan. This is about Venezuela and Cuba and oil. They made it through the Access Hollywood tapes. They're making it through some airstrikes in the Middle East.

Jane Coaston (9:29)

Yeah. I've always thought that the Trump era CPAC is as close as you can come to what it would be like to go for a fan convention for Trump.

Ben Jacobs (9:36)

Yes.

Jane Coaston (9:37)

Now, we mentioned the straw poll a little bit earlier, and that's one of the historically big parts of CPAC where attendees put in their picks for their next presidential nominee. This year, Vice President J.D. vance won. He wasn't there. Marco Rubio came in second. He also wasn't there. What conversations did you hear about where the GOP wants to go after Trump?

Ben Jacobs (9:56)

I don't think they were sort of ready to go someplace after Trump that Trump is still there, that they sort of like J.D. certainly like Marco. But this was not future looking. It's been very interesting that even if you go back to looking at who's sort of testing the wal waters a little bit in earlier states, if you go back to this time four years ago, all sorts of people are going to Iowa, all sorts of people are going to New Hampshire. They're not doing that this time around. Even though Trump is at least nominally a lame duck. And I talked to people, rejected the idea Trump's a lame duck. He's still in there. He has all sorts of power. And this is a particular slice of the Republican Party. We shouldn't assume that this is the average Republican voter, let alone the average Republican primary voter. But you know, Trump's there. Trump's their guy. He's back. And why look that far ahead?

Jane Coaston (10:47)

Ben, thank you so much for joining me.

Ben Jacobs (10:50)

Thanks for having me, Jen.

Jane Coaston (10:51)

That was my conversation with Ben Jacobs, a political reporter who wrote about the 2026 CPAC for Slate. We will link to his work in the show. Notes Unlike cpac, we are a Malaise free podcast. So if you like the show, make sure to subscribe. Leave a five star review on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, watch us on YouTube and share with your friends. More to come after some ads. What a Day is brought to you by Zebiotics let's face it, after a night with drinks, I don't bounce back the next day like I used to. I have to make a choice. I can either have a great night or a great next day. That is, until I found Pre Alcohol Zebiotics Pre Alcohol Probiotic Drink is the world's first genetically engineered probiotic. It was invented by PhD scientists to tackle rough mornings after drinking. Here's how it when you drink, alcohol gets converted into a toxic byproduct in the gut. It's a buildup of this byproduct, not dehydration, that's to blame for rough days after drinking. Pre Alcohol produces an enzyme to break this byproduct down. Just remember to make Pre Alcohol your first drink of the night. Drink responsibly and you'll feel your best tomorrow. Every time I have Pre alcohol before drinks, I notice a difference the next day. Even after a night out, I can confidently plan on working out without worrying. March is a marathon of social events from the slopes to the bracket watch parties. Pre Alcohol is the tool you need to fully enjoy the start of spring. Go to zbiotics.com wad to learn more and get 15% off your first order when you use WAD at checkout. Zebiotics is backed with a 100% money back guarantee, so if you're unsatisfied for any reason, they'll refund your money, no questions asked. Remember to head to zebiotics.com wad and use the code WAD at checkout for 15% off. What a Day is brought to you by Fast Growing Trees. Did you know Fast Growing Trees is America's largest and most trusted online nursery with thousands of trees and plants and over 2 million happy customers. They have all the plants your yard or home needs including fruit trees, privacy trees, flowering trees, shrubs and houseplants, all grown with care and guaranteed to arrive healthy. It's like your local nursery, but anywhere you live with more plants than you'll find anywhere else. Whatever you're looking for, Fast Growing Trees helps you find options that actually work for your climate, space and lifestyle. Fast Growing Trees makes it easy to get your dream yard. Just click, order, Grow and get healthy thriving Plants delivered to your door. Their Alive and Thrive guarantee promises that your plants arrive happy and healthy. No green thumb required, just quality plants you can count on. Plus, get ongoing support from trained plant experts who can help you plan your landscape, choose the right plants and learn how to care for them every step of the way. We absolutely love giving trees as gifts to our friends and family and Fast Growing Trees helped us give lemon trees to some of our nearest and dearest. They arrived happy, healthy and perfect for planting. My husband and I absolutely love giving trees as gifts to our friends and family and Fast Growing trees helped us give lemon trees to some of our nearest and dearest. They arrived happy, healthy and perfect for planting. You don't need a big yard or a lot of space. You can grow lemon, avocado, olive or fig trees indoors along with a wide variety of houseplants, all grown with care and hand selected to thrive in your home. The experts at Fast Growing Trees have curated thousands of plants for every climate and growing zone so customers can find options that truly work for their yard. You don't have to drive around in nurseries or big garden centers taking up your whole weekend and making a mess in your car. Fast Growing Trees delivers expert grown plants with garden centric quality right to your door in just a few days. Right now they have great deals on spring planting essentials, up to half off on select plants and listeners to our show get 20% off their first purchase when using the code WAD at checkout. That's an additional 20% off. Better plants and better growing at fastgrowingtrees.com using the code WAD at checkout fastgrowingtrees.com code WAD now is the perfect time to plant. Let's grow together. Use WAD to Save today. Offer is valid for a limited time. Terms and conditions may apply.

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Jane Coaston (15:13)

Here's what else we're following today. Head of lines. Joining me is Crooked's Washington correspondent Matt Berg to talk about the big stories. Hey, Matt.

Matt Berg (15:24)

Hey, Jane.

Jane Coaston (15:26)

Matt, do you remember when Trump said that he could wrap up the war with Iran like super quickly?

Matt Berg (15:30)

Oh, yeah.

Jane Coaston (15:31)

And everything was going to be super fast. And basically we already won and the war is over. Here's a reporter asking White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt for a new estimate on when the war will end on

Caroline Levitt (15:42)

Monday and then on Iran on the time frame President Trump initially said about four weeks. Secretary of State Rubio on Friday reportedly said it Might be another 2 to 4. Is 2 to 4 the current ballpark

White House Press Secretary (15:55)

that the administration is thinking with respect to the timeline? Again, the president, Commander in Chief, the Pentagon has always stated 4 to 6 weeks Estimated timeline for Operation Epic Fury. We're on day 30 today. So again, you do the math.

Jane Coaston (16:10)

She sounds so self satisfied. And also. So I guess that means that we have two more weeks of war. Is that how this is going to work? What is this, Groundhog Day? And Trump made threats against Iran on Monday like he does, saying that he might blow up the country's energy infrastructure and desalination plants without a peace deal soon. And blowing up desalination plants would be a possible war crime under international law, even though I know Trump doesn't care.

Matt Berg (16:36)

And that's not even all that he might do. According to the Wall Street Journal, he's considering sending in troops to extract some 1,000 pounds of uranium from Iran, which is, you know, could be risky for a couple reasons. I mean, first, you're sending a lot of troops in to do a mission that you don't know could actually work. And second, you don't know how long they would even be there. But Jane, remember on Monday, Trump said that peace talks are going great, even

Jane Coaston (17:00)

though the peace talks may not be peace talks. Also, a spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry told reporters that the US Proposal for peace was, quote, unrealistic, illogical and excessive, which that just kind of sounds like Donald Trump to me. But there's some kind of good news. Most TSA workers received some back pay Monday following an order from Trump on Friday. Now, Trump could have signed an order to pay TSA weeks ago, but now that he has met, could this shutdown of DHS just go on forever?

Matt Berg (17:33)

That is a Huge question that everyone in D.C. is asking right now, and no one really has a good answer to. Today is the 46th day of the shutdown, and you probably remember that the House and the Senate are on recess until the week of April 14, and there probably will not be any movement on the shutdown until they get back. And it's important to remember that the shutdown in the fall broke a record for the longest shutdown in government history. And this one broke that record was also under a Republican trifecta. So this is not going to play well for Republicans. But Americans who are traveling may finally be catching a break. Members of Congress are definitely not. Tmz, the gossip news site, is asking people to send pictures of congresspeople who are on vacation during the shutdown. And it's actually working.

Jane Coaston (18:21)

Yeah. Like, if TMZ can find a celebrity smoking a cigarette in a gas station in a town that you've never heard of, they will find South Carolina Republican Senator and Iran war enthusiast Lindsey Graham, and they will find him enjoying himself at Disney World. In Florida, he was reportedly dining at Chef Mickey's for Sunday brunch, standing with a bubble wand and boarding Space Mountain. I hope he had fun. Here's my favorite part. Matt Graham told TMZ that he was meeting with Trump officials in Florida and met up with friends in Orlando afterwards. Now, I assume the friends were not Donald Duck, but who knows? Like, it's Lindsey Graham, Anything could happen.

Matt Berg (18:59)

It's also kind of surprising that, you know, this is not just limited to only Republicans. At least one Democratic lawmaker was also caught up in this. Someone also spotted California Democratic Representative Robert Garcia at a casino in Las Vegas after having lunch with his dad. Garcia responded via tweet, writing, quote, actually, I don't mind what TMZ is doing here, adding, quote, speaker Mike Johnson should have never sent us all home. I guess when you can't beat them, you should join them. I guess. That's Garcia's take here.

Jane Coaston (19:28)

Now, Representative Robert Garcia, you cannot blame your lunch trip to Vegas on Mike Johnson. Like, it's not like Mike Johnson didn't take you to the airport. He did not buy your lunch. But, Matt, this is a reminder that what happens in Vegas absolutely does not stay in Vegas. As always, it was nice talking to you, but if I were a member of Congress, I would not hang out with you in Vegas.

Matt Berg (19:52)

Well, I'd hang out with you anywhere, Jane, so thanks for having me.

Jane Coaston (19:56)

And that's the news. Before we go, the Virtual Empire City Podcast Club from Crooked Ideas kicks off today, March 31st Empire City the untold origin story of the NYPD is Crooked's award winning series tracing how the New York City Police Department became the largest police force in the world and why that history still shapes today's headlines. Join host Chenjerai Komanika as he unpacks how that power was built, who it served and what it means for public safety. Now in the Podcast club, you'll go beyond the episodes connecting the dots, wrestling with the big questions and imagining what real safety could look like for all of us. Sign up@crookedideas.org EmpireCity that's all for today. If you like the show, make sure you subscribe, leave a review, wonder about Vice President J.D. vance's views on aliens and tell your friends to listen. And if you're into reading and not just about how for reasons I do not understand, Vance decided to tell right wing podcaster Benny Johnson that he thinks aliens are demons, but then couldn't back up his opinion at all.

Caroline Levitt (21:07)

Well, look, I think that celestial beings who fly around, who do weird things to people, I think that the desire to describe everything celestial, everything is otherworldly to describe it as aliens. I mean every great world religion, including Christianity, the one that I believe in, has, has understood that there are weird things out there.

Jane Coaston (21:33)

Like me. Water Day is also a nightly newsletter. Check it out and subscribe@crooked.com subscribe I'm Jane Coaston and come on JD explain how aliens are demons. Get into the theology of alien demons get weird. What a Day is a production of Crooked Media. It's recorded and mixed by Desmond Taylor. Our associate producer is Emily Foer. Our producer is Caitlin Plummer. Our video editor is Joseph Dutra. Our video producer is Johanna Case. We had production help today from Greg Walters, Matt Berg and Ethan Oberman. Our senior producer is Erica Morrison and our senior vice president of news politics is Adrienne Hill. Our theme music is by Kyle Murdoch and Jordan Cantor. We had help today from the Associated Press. Our production staff is proudly unionized with the Writers Guild of America East.