Despite the emerging field of Republican presidential candidates willing to take on former President Donald Trump, this year's CPAC was more unabashedly MAGA than ever. At the multi-day conference held just outside Washington, D.C. The Conservative Political Action Conference is an annual political conference attended by conservative activists and elected officials from across the United States. CPAC is hosted by the American Conservative Union (ACU). The first CPAC took place in 1974.