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Our organization’s commitment to improving and modernizing the United States criminal justice system took us across the Atlantic last week as CPAC joined partners in the public safety field, including the Vera Institute of Justice, on a consequential trip to Berlin, Germany. As part of series of tours and learning sessions alongside our European partners, we were granted unprecedented access to the inner workings of the Ministry of Justice in Berlin, learning about both similarities and differences in our approaches to the law. One common theme became clear from both our partners here at home and abroad: we must do more to honor our commitment to human dignity and protecting liberty.   Alongside experts in history and public safety, we gathered first to learn from the horrors of the holocaust and remember that justice can be weaponized to deprive liberty from innocent men, women, and children in society.  After exploring the foundations of this shared commitment to justice, CPAC had the opportunity to meet with representatives of the legal system, including attorneys, judges, and corrections leaders to learn more about innovative approaches to rehabilitation and second chances. Officials in Berlin provided in-depth tours of the city’s prison and jail facilities, offering us a glimpse of programming and conditions aimed not simply at punishment, but providing the incarcerated population with a meaningful second chance upon release.   One clear lesson came from our work abroad: the United States must do more to improve public safety through taking active steps to support those individuals in prison seeking a better life. If we are to live up to our values of liberty and freedom for all, criminal justice leaders in our country must explore new and innovative paths to ensure that people behind bars can earn redemption. Further, we must commit to learning from our past mistakes, just as our partners in Germany have done, to avoid wasting resources and efforts on purely punitive practices that do little to improve wellbeing of the communities we serve. CPAC’s work to bring positive change to the criminal justice system was greatly strengthened by the lessons learned with our new partners in Berlin and the commitment amongst stakeholders here at home to find a better way forward for public safety.

At CPAC Texas 2022, then-author of Hillbilly Elegy, J.D. Vance, shared his own inspiring life story from growing up poor in a non-traditional family in Appalachia to running for U.S. Congress. Vance first gained national recognition for his 2016 memoir, Hillbilly Elegy, and subsequent film adaptation of the same name. His life story, as recorded in Hillbilly Elegy, of being raised by a drug addict mother to serving in the Marines to graduating from Yale law school, resonated with many as a story of self-determination and the American Dream. “This country, ladies and gentlemen, is a great place, and it was a great place especially to a kid like me, and for that reason, I believe it’s time to step up. It’s time to fight for it, and ladies and gentlemen, it’s time to save this country and do it in the right way,” Vance exhorted. The Democrats’ neglect of the American economy and radical transformation of the education system is especially outraging to Vance. His own background gives him an intimate understanding of the economic hardships that average Americans are experiencing in a struggling economy, and he knows the value of quality education for creating opportunities for everyone to prosper. "American citizens have dreams too, and one of those dreams is they should be able to have a family cookout with hamburger buns, and they should be able to fill up their gas tank with reasonable price gasoline. Those are the dreams of our people, and those are the dreams that we need to defend," called Vance. Watch his full speech from CPAC Texas 2022 on Youtube @CPAC .

In remarks at CPAC Florida 2021, former President Donald J. Trump touched on a number of issues, criticizing the Biden administration’s disastrous approach to current events and reminding the American people of the success of Trump’s policies. Upon the exit of Trump from the Oval Office, the Biden-Harris administration and Democrat lawmakers promptly encroached on individual freedoms and education with mask and vaccine mandates and prolonged school and business lockdowns in the COVID-19 pandemic while leaving the borders open for the free movement of illegal immigrants. Further, Biden immediately imposed a greater economic burden on Americans through his energy policy that drove gas prices up by thirty percent and brought inflation to a staggering high. That's not even to mention the woke agenda the Left has imposed on women’s sports, law enforcement, and public education. In contrast, the conservative party stands as the party of common sense, family values, patriotism, liberty, and the working class. President Trump’s successful policies in these areas have grown the Republican Party and support for the former president. Under the Biden-Harris administration, Americans have realized just how prosperous and peaceful life was under the Trump administration. In his speech, Trump vowed to continue supporting conservative principles from backing the military to asserting the right to bear arms to bolstering the economy. He assured his unwavering belief in freedom of speech, American exceptionalism, and the immense potential of American industry and ingenuity. But he cannot do it alone. He called for conservatives to take up the fight for election reform in order to ensure Republican candidates are offered a fair opportunity to take office and apply sensible policies. He called for courage from judges to decide cases of election fraud justly and action from lawmakers to fight Democrats' radical legislation with their own that defends. "The task for our movement and our party is to stand up to this destructive agenda with confidence and with resolve. The future of the Republican Party is as a party that defends the social, economic, and cultural interests and values of working American families of every race, color, and creed," said President Trump. "That is why the Party is growing so rapidly." Watch more of President Trump's speech from CPAC Florida 2021 on Rumble @CPAC.

CPAC Chairman Matt Schlapp spoke at CPAC’s Arizona townhall ahead of J.D. Vance’s remarks with encouraging words for Christian, Latino, and grassroots voters in this upcoming election.  “Most of us are Christians. We know we’re supposed to love, love our enemy, understand that all of us are God’s creatures, but in that process, we’ve been bamboozled into this idea that our faith has to be put over here on a shelf off to the side,” said Schlapp.   For decades, the Left has twisted freedom of religion into freedom from religion. They pushed the idea of the separation of church and state to shove faith-minded people and faith itself out of politics, but as the Left has become increasingly extreme on social issues, politics has reached a point where faith cannot help but inform positions on many issues.   Schlapp credited President Trump with pulling Christians and conservatives out of their passivity.  “He has woken us up from this stupor and slumber that somehow, if we believe our faith matters, that we have to get pushed over to the side,” said Schlapp.   President Trump has become the champion for Christians and family values. By publicly proclaiming the Christian faith and its values himself, Trump has empowered grassroots Christians to vote their values and proclaim their faith boldly. Trump did that in 2016 and 2020 and is doing it again in 2024. An estimated 40 million Christians do not vote. The 2024 election is a pivotal opportunity to change that.   Watch Schlapp's full remarks on Youtube @CPAC .

CPAC board member and former Acting Director of National Intelligence, U.S. Ambassador to Germany, and special envoy for Serbia-Kosovo relations, Richard Grenell brought President Donald Trump’s America First message to a group of Greek Americans last Wednesday at a reception co-hosted by CPAC board member and Chair of Greek Americans for Trump Christos Marafatsos.   The reception was held at the Union League in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After close votes in the 2016 and 2020 elections, Pennsylvania is a key battleground state in the 2024 election. Grenell and Marafatsos brought together key voters and business and political leaders at the event for Grenell’s remarks on Trump’s vision for America.   Grenell’s message to the sold-out audience emphasized President Trump’s intention to prioritize Americans and family values in the areas of the economy, national security, and social issues, to strengthen U.S.-Greece relations, create and keep peace in the eastern Mediterranean region, and protect freedom of religion, especially Orthodox Christians and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.  “This is a pivotal moment for our country, and Greek Americans have a critical role to play in re-electing President Trump,” said Marafatsos. “President Trump’s leadership continues to deliver for us, and he will champion the interests of the Greek American community.”  Through Greek Americans for Trump, Marafatsos and Grenell are bringing President Trump’s America First approach to the Greek American community and energizing them to be active in their country’s future.

In his remarks at CPAC 2020, President Donald J. Trump reflected on his first presidential campaign in the 2016 election and the progress made in the first three years of his term in office.  Trump first entered the political scene simply as an advocate for a better America while he was still starring on The Apprentice TV show. He only ran for president after the urging of multiple close friends, including CPAC Chairman Matt Schlapp. He was put down many talking heads in the mainstream media. He wasn’t considered a serious candidate by establishment figures and was dismissed early on in the 2016 race.   Trump’s success in the 2016 election and in his term as president proved those naysayers wrong.   In fact, “No administration has ever done what we’ve done in the first three years,” said Trump, including tax cuts, Supreme Court appointments, two hundred judges appointed, secure borders, the defeat of ISIS, and more. “Together, we’re defeating the radical socialist Democrats, the fake news media, the crooked politicians, and the hate-filled Left-wing mob.”  Trump took on the tough task of draining the swamp of Washington, D.C., challenging establishment standards, reforming government agencies, and representing the interests of the American people, not those of lobbyists and big corporations.   “I never knew the swamp was so bad,” he commented. “But we’re winning. [It’s] not easy, but we’re winning. [There’s] a lot of dirty people.”  Despite the progress and prosperity of the Biden administration, the swamp runs deep and much more work is waiting to be done.  “Far left radicals have become increasingly desperate and increasingly dangerous in their quest to transform America into a country you would not recognize, a country in which they control every aspect of American life. Just as socialist and communist movements have done all over the world, they’re cracking down on all dissent and demanding absolute conformity. They want total control,” warned Trump.   Watch his full remarks and plans for America from CPAC 2020 on Rumble @CPAC.

Matt and Mercedes Schlapp weigh in on Kamala Harris’ Fox News interview, President Trump’s Univision townhall, and more.  Kamala Harris sat down with Brett Baier on Wednesday for her first major interview after the CBS News interview scandal. The Fox News interview has since gone viral for all the wrong reasons from Harris spewing false information to losing her cool and her handlers calling for a wrap to the interview.   “I think it’s a little bit of a desperate strategy,” said Matt Schlapp of Harris’ surprising move to do an interview with Fox News. “They know they’re not the getting the percentage of the Liz Cheney, kind of never-Trump Republicans that they expected to get. They think that this harping on Trump, the latest attack is that he’s not stable, that that’ll engender more of these Republicans to come their way, but the problem is that she’s so radical. She’s communist. She’s a Marxist.”  Harris demonstrated this tactic by blaming President Trump for running for office for the last 3.5 years for the problems that ensued while she was in office. Later, in the interview she deflected on a question about the mental health of President Joe Biden by turning it on President Trump’s mental stability.   Ultimately, she failed help her likability problem and provide answers to the real issues concerning Americans.   “This was a place where she really could have made in-roads. She was too mean. She was too hostile. She has no charm. She has no diplomatic skills. She’s simply unlikable,” said Matt Schlapp.   In contrast, President Trump’s townhall with Univision presented a personable candidate prepared with solutions to the economy and community safety.   Watch the Schlapps’ full commentary on the top events of the week on Rumble @CPAC.

On the evening of October 8, CPAC welcomed Christian leaders to a special screening in Arizona of the new faith-filled movie Average Joe.   Elaine Beck of the CPAC Now show It’s Not About Us and Christian author Mark Victor Hansen were among the special guests at the showing.   “It’s a great story because it’s the truth,” commented Beck on the film. “I love seeing what can really happen when people fight back the right way, and they took it clear to the Supreme Court. What a great win for all of us Christian.”  “Every one of us has 100% potential but unless you’re using God, you can’t exponentialize yourself,” said Hansen on the movie’s message. “We want everyone to fulfill their destiny in extraordinary and exemplary ways. This movie does that because it takes a guy who had the guts, the courage and he had to confront his wife. He had to confront the team. He had to confront the city.  He had to confront everybody all the way to the Supreme Court.”  CPAC’s Average Joe screening strengthened the film’s message of bravery and Christian unity by bringing Christians together to receive and proclaim the message publicly and as one.   Let your local theater know you want to join the movement of Christians receiving and proclaiming this message. Average Joe is out in theaters NOW. Visit https://www.fathomevents.com/events/average-joe/  to find a theater near you.

20 days out from Election Day, polls show narrow margins between President Trump and Kamala Harris in swing states. Radio show host Larry O’Connor weighed in on the polls and how President Trump can pull out a victory on America Uncanceled with Mercedes Schlapp.  In Arizona, Nevada, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, Trump leads by just 1, .2, .9, and .3 points and in Wisconsin Kamala Harris leads by .3. These narrow margins put emphasis on the get out the vote movement and raise red flags about concerted election fraud from the Left.   “I think for Donald Trump to win Michigan, this time around, he’s got to win by like four or five points to actually win by one point,” said O’Connor.  The Left is expected to use their well-oiled machine of early voting, ballot harvesting, transportation to the polls, and election fraud tactics to secure these swing states, meaning Trump’s campaign will have to work twice as hard to get voters out and overcome fraud.   Trump and Vance’s personability compared to Kamala Harris’ manufactured and forced personality are one of their great strengths in appealing to voters and giving them an edge over Harris.   J.D. Vance’s remarks at CPAC’s Arizona townhall demonstrated this well, where he spoke from personal experience on the state of the economy and helping Americans get and keep well-paying jobs.  Watch the full conversation between O’Connor and Schlapp on the 2024 election on CPAC+.

Last Wednesday, October 9, CPAC hosted key Arizona voters for a watch party of Kari Lake’s debate with Arizona Senate candidate and radical Left-wing crony Ruben Gallego.   CPAC supporter Laura H. Thilman hosted energized Arizonans to watch their two Senate candidates square off in their first and only debate.   CPAC Chairman Matt Schlapp and CPAC Senior Fellow Mercedes Schlapp were on-site in the spin room following the debate delivering commentary on Lake’s performance to the media.   “I’ve never seen such a lopsided debate. Kari Lake kicked his butt all over the stage,” said Matt Schlapp of Lake’s dominant showing.   Lake put her opponent who is known for his profanity-plagued and hate-filled social media posts directed at Christian conservatives in his place, exposing his radical record in Congress that includes open border policies, pro-China policies, nearly $50 million in aid to Ukraine, and an anti-election integrity position.   Lake’s debate marked the opening day of early voting in Arizona, a major swing state filled with conservatives looking to overcome election interference issues to fire their radical Left-wing representatives and create safe and thriving communities once more.   See more from Lake’s debate on social media @CPAC.

Before her big debate against Ruben Gallego, CPAC endorsed U.S. Senate candidate for Arizona Kari Lake articulated her intentions to shake up Washington, D.C. and support President Donald Trump in Congress at the CPAC townhall in Mesa, Arizona.   Lake’s opponent and sitting Congressman Gallego has towed the Democrat Party line and promulgated Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ bad border policy that has encouraged and even facilitated the arrival of dangerous illegal aliens into Arizona communities.   Lake has a simple and common-sense response to this crisis:   “I want to give them a one-way ticket to their homeland.”   “We don’t want dangerous people here,” she said. “We want to be able to enjoy our quality of life, and we want to have quality of life once again. So, we’re going to be retiring Kamala Harris and Joe Biden November 5.”  On the campaign trail, Lake has become known for her no-nonsense attitude, an attitude she’s more than happy to take to Washington, D.C.   “I’m not going to Washington, D.C. to make friends,” said Lake. “I already have enough friends here in Arizona.”   Early voting has begun in Arizona, and Lake urges Arizona voters to take advantage and encourage as many friends as possible to do so as well.   Watch Lake’s full remarks on Youtube @CPAC .

“They came from the mountains and the valleys and the cities. They came from all over and what we did in 2016...it’s never been done before,” recounted President Trump in his remarks at CPAC in 2019 of the phenomenon that was the 2016 election.   In 2016, President Trump became the unexpected hero of the middle class, average American. He rallied the American people around his honest and bold personality and the simple slogan, “Make America Great Again”. After eight years of the country losing on every front (economically, militarily, culturally) President Trump’s determination to make America strong, prosperous, and stable again resonated with many Americans.   Naysayers in the Washington, D.C. swamp and mainstream media, out of touch with the sentiments of the American people, conjured a narrative that Trump could never win.   “How many times did you hear for months and months, ‘There is no way to 270’?” recalled Trump.   Trump blew 270 out of the water, winning 306 total delegates to Hilary Clinton’s 223. He crashed ‘the blue wall’ and won states like Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania that talking heads said he would never win.   Once in office, he continued to defy establishment convention, sticking to campaign promises by draining the swamp, building the border wall, fixing the economy, and holding allies and foes alike to American laws and international agreements. Under the Trump administration, America won and Americans won.   Trump’s presidency displayed just how different the Left and the Right are. President Trump showed that the conservative movement is the movement of working class, patriotic, common sense Americans who love their country and want it to succeed.   Watch President Trump’s full speech from CPAC 2019 on Rumble @CPAC.