ORLANDO, Florida—Long lines and thorough security checks by stone-faced U.S. Secret Service agents welcomed attendees to CPAC on Feb. 26, a conservative mega-conference held in Orlando this year.
Pro-Trump gear—bedazzled hats, MAGA shirts, and “Trump won!” buttons—made a swirling sea of red as thousands of attendees queued up for more than half a mile to enter on Day Three of the sold-out Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). It was the first day security was noticeable at the gathering, which always draws the political movement’s biggest household names and thousands of their fans.