DALLAS — The Conservative Political Action Conference kicked off its first full day Thursday, focusing on its theme “action over words” with panelists and speakers who delivered remarks about America’s enemies.
Christian evangelist Franklin Graham, who was introduced as the first speaker by American Conservative Union Chairman Matt Schlapp and his wife, Mercedes Schlapp, set the tone for the day.
Mr. Graham lauded President Trump for doing what previous presidents didn’t have the fortitude to do: taking on the Islamist regime in Iran.
“Other presidents in the past have just kicked the can down the road on these hard issues, but President Trump has the guts to take these tough decisions, and I appreciate that he stepped up,” Mr. Graham said. “He stepped up to protect Israel and the Jewish people from what I believe was the possibility of a nuclear annihilation by this radical Islamic regime.”
It was a fitting introduction to the series of discussion panels on CPAC’s main stage that focused on threats to both foreign and domestic. Topics included “MAGA vs. Mullah Madness,” “Commies Go Home: The Stories of the American Heroes of Gotion,” “Canceling Satan” and “Ilhan Omar ’Family’ Values.”
The speakers included women who were brutalized by the Iranian regime, townspeople from Michigan who successfully pushed out a giant Chinese battery manufacturer, and conservative influencer Benny Johnson, who called out the political left as a force that is “demonic” and must be defeated.
“The problem is the side that stopped debating and the side that stopped talking and decided that we were less than human, they got their guns, and they started killing, and I’m sick of watching my president get shot in the head,” Mr. Johnson said.
“I’m sick of watching my friends die on a livestream. I’m sick of the violence from the left. There’s no argument with that. It’s demonic. It’s evil. We must disavow it, fight it and defeat it,” he said.
Mr. Graham, during his remarks, also praised Mr. Trump for the capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, the appointment of conservative judges and freeing American pastor Andrew Brunson from a Turkish prison.
“Our grandchildren will have a safer future because of his leadership and his policies,” he said.
Mr. Graham also warned that the conservative movement needs to “be cautious of people with podcasts and social media platforms who make money by views, clicks and the number of followers they have.”
The Christian leader cautioned that if these individuals can cause a stir or debate, they will only financially benefit. Additionally, he warned about the mainstream media that attempts to be the conservatives’ friend.
“They never will be your friends. Oh, they’ll cozy up to some of you and don’t trust it. They like to put doubts in little seeds,” he said.
