Staff Reports
A recent gathering of Never Trumpers in Washington, D.C., turned into a spectacle more befitting a circus than a serious political summit. As the CPAC conference drew in a host of enthusiastic supporters rallying around President Trump, the Never Trump faction held their poorly attended “Principles First” summit, which can best be described as a cringe-fest. Amidst a lineup of dusty political has-beens like John Bolton and Chris Christie, the group managed to outdo themselves by publicly accusing a Trump supporter of calling in a bomb threat, adding an absurd twist to an already desperate event.
While CPAC was alive with energy as Trump reveled in his legacy and supporters celebrated, the Never Trumpers were left to wallow in nostalgia and bitterness across town. Rather than presenting new ideas or actionable plans, their gathering turned into a pity party that bore more resemblance to a support group for political has-beens than a strategic summit. It became clear that the only thing these attendees seemed to be “first” in was the art of making themselves irrelevant.
It’s called the “Principles First Summit” yet none of the people in this picture have any principles. https://t.co/hi9r4NzOEi
— Chris Plante Show (@ChrisPlanteShow) February 18, 2025
To make matters worse, the dismal affair took a chaotic turn when the event was evacuated due to a purported bomb threat. The organizers seized the opportunity to misattribute this serious matter to Enrique Tarrio, a Trump supporter and former leader of the Proud Boys, who had been near the event. Ironically, this mudslinging only highlighted their desperation to stay relevant in a political landscape that has decisively moved past them. Tarrio, having been publicly accused of making the threat, denied both the accusation and any involvement, stating that he had become the target of credible death threats in the aftermath.
As the organizers backtracked on their accusations, it became clear that their finger-pointing was an ill-considered attempt to divert attention from their own failing event. They didn’t seem to realize that making such a claim can have serious ramifications and backfire spectacularly, showing that their understanding of “principles” extends only as far as their ability to deflect blame. The way they fumbled their accusations showed a group clinging to relevance in a world that has left them behind—next-level paranoia masked as political strategy.
With CPAC basking in the glow of a triumphant Trump, the Never Trump summit could only lament its own inadequacies. Accusing a vocal supporter of violence in lieu of tackling pressing issues was a final act of desperation from a faction that appears more concerned with claiming moral superiority than effecting change. In the end, their greatest “principle” seemed to be that of failure, and the only lesson learned was that politics is hard enough without orchestrating a self-own of this magnitude.
The Never Trumpers, in their quest for political gravitas, demonstrated that relevance is not merely about the principles one claims to uphold but also about the tangible connections made with people. Unfortunately for them, the connection to the current political climate is so frayed they can only watch from the sidelines, failing spectacularly as they shout into the void—overwhelmed by the sound of Trumpist triumph thriving just blocks away.
