Trump Making First Public Appearance At CPAC; Pence Declines Invitation

Former President Donald Trump is set to make his first public appearance since leaving the White House at the Conservative Political Action Conference, but he won't have his former vice president by his side.

Trump is expected to speak at the conference on Feb. 28, AP News reports. When the former commander-in-chief addresses the attendees, he is expected to discuss several key topics, including the next step for the Republican Party, and President Joe Biden’s decisions to undo his policies.

A source told CNN, “he’ll be talking about the future of the Republican Party and the conservative movement," the insider said. “Also look for the 45th President to take on President Biden’s disastrous amnesty and border policies.”

The 2021 CPAC, which will take place in Orlando, will be attended by various members of the GOP, including South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

However, former Vice President Mike Pence won’t join his fellow Republicans at the conference. Two sources told CNN Pence declined an invitation and plans to keep a low profile for the next six months.

Trump and Pence’s final days in the White House were tense following the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol and the former VP’s role in confirming Biden’s presidential victory. A timeline shows the former president was still tweeting negative comments about Pence while angry mobs were calling for him to be hanged.

On Saturday, Marc Short, Pence’s former chief of staff, told “Newsroom” host Pamela Brown the VP and Trump “departed amicably” and have spoken since leaving White House.

Trump appears to still have the support of some Republicans, including Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise, who visited the former president last week.

“I was in Florida doing some fundraising throughout a number of parts of Florida, ended up at Mar-a-Lago, and the president reached out, and we visited,” Scalise told Jonathan Karl on ABC show “This Week.”

“I hadn’t seen him since he had left the White House, and it was actually good to catch up with him. I noticed he was a lot more relaxed than his four years in the White House. It was a conversation more about how he’s doing now and what he’s planning on doing and how his family is doing,” Scalise added.