Will he or won't he?
We are still playing the waiting game as
President Biden continues to play coy
over his intentions to run for reelection.
This is Republicans gathering for CPAC,
the annual conservative Political
Action Conference where deep divisions
within the party are on full display.
Here to bring us insight into it all is
moderator of Meet the Press Chuck Todd.
So Chuck, traditionally,
CPAC is the place to be.
It is the hot spot for potential
Republican candidates for president.
But this year?
We're skipping the conference altogether.
So what's going on here?
Well I think two big reasons #1 all
the organizers it very much feels like
it's more of a Donald Trump event than
it is a larger event beyond him and
the other presidential candidates felt
like they were walking into a buzz saw
Donald they there's this straw poll
that always is a part of the event
Donald Trump's pollster is running that
straw poll the people in charge of CPAC
is a former communications director
of for the president for the former
president and and her husband speaking.
Of them, he the match lap,
who is the person in charge
of organizing the event,
also has his own allegations against
him for groping allegations.
And I think that messiness also
scared away some folks sort of,
they already viewed it as kind of a wow,
this is a Trump event.
I don't want to get lost in that shuffle.
You throw on the other stuff
and there was a total,
like it's an unnecessary thing to be at.
So that's why you don't see the
Governor of Virginia, Glenn Younkin,
you don't see Chris Sununu will be my guest.
New Hampshire.
No Ron DeSantis, no Mike Pence.
None of the congressional leaders
have shown up.
The only you know,
Marjorie Taylor Green is there.
But none of the leadership know
Kevin McCarthy, no Mitch McConnell.
So I do think it was really has to
do with how closely aligned CPAC
has become with Trump and obviously
Trump does not control the party as
tightly as he did just two years ago.
And Speaking of that the former
president he's scheduled to close
he's the closer for the conference.
He's set to have a speech tomorrow there.
But today, CPAC delegates heard from
former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley,
and the Washington Post is actually
reporting that she was heckled.
She was heckled by Trump supporters.
After her speech, the crowd there
started chanting Trump's name.
So is this just a further indication
that this conference has really changed?
I think what it well,
I would argue that CPAC ebbs and
flows of its significance and there
have been years that it has been
as insignificant as is it is it.
It's going to turn out to be this
year and then there are years.
It's amazingly significant.
A lot of times it's when
there is no party leader.
Well, right now there are some party
leaders now maybe not who some want
to be leader of the party and I
think that's what's driven this.
But the Nikki Haley experience,
it's exactly why Mike Pence isn't there.
It's exactly why Ron DeSantis isn't there.
It's a you end up creating a viral
moment that may be meaningless
because it was at a you were basically
inside the Trump a Trump event.
But it looks bad to the public,
looks like you don't have any support.
So it's a in many ways,
Nikki Halley's experience only
reinforces the decision by these
other folks to skip it.
All right, quickly we've
got like 30 seconds left.
But President Biden,
he has not made his reelection
bid official just yet.
What do you think he's waiting for?
Oh, I think they were before.
I think they were gonna
announce much earlier,
and then the classified document
thing hit at this point.
Now I think they're just.
Waiting to finalize office space or
something because everything else.
The decks have been cleared.
They got their new chief of staff.
Everything is in place.
And I think they were waiting to get
through the anniversary of the war.
I think we are at a any week now
moment of when they officially
become a candidate again.
Chuck Todd, thanks so much.
We always appreciate your insights.
Super valuable.
For more with Chuck Todd,
make sure you tune in to Meet
the Press this Sunday at 10:00
AM right here on WCNC Charlotte.