CPAC has welcomed the participation of the Latin American right with open arms. Javier Milei, libertarian president of Argentina; Nayib Bukele, president of El Salvador; Santiago Abascal, leader of VOX, Spain's right-wing party; Eduardo Bolsonaro, former congressman and son of the former president of Brazil; and Eduardo Verástegui, Mexican activist, will all give speeches at the world's most important conservative conference. For regular visitors to CPAC, this change is somewhat surprising since, in the past, Latino voices have not been numerous at this conference, but this year, the Conservative Political Action Conference has given a central place to five of the most renowned voices of the Latin American right.
This event is held every February in the U.S. capital; for decades, it has been where the most important issues for Republican voters are discussed. For years, Donald Trump has been the keynote speaker and the one who closes the event. Although at least one Hispanic voice was given some space at every annual conference, what we will see this year is unprecedented in the history of CPAC: five Latino leaders will take the main stage in 2024. Saturday afternoon is quite particular since, after Trump's speech, Eduardo Verástegui will speak, followed by Eduardo Bolsonaro and, finally, the famous first libertarian president of the world, Javier Milei.
Milei has become a worldwide phenomenon in a very short time as various important figures of the American right wing have shared his videos with English subtitles. Milei is becoming well-known among the conservative elite in the United States as the Argentine president who speaks the truth loudly to the communists. In a country where Republicans increasingly praise Trump's brash and crude way of speaking, Milei's fight for change and his strong words against the socialists have already managed to excite an important portion of the right wing, which will see him take the main stage of CPAC this Sunday.
On the other hand, in an election year with recent polls showing that among Republican voters the main issue of concern is immigration, there is growing interest among party leaders to hear Latino voices explaining the immigration phenomenon from a different perspective than the one offered by the Biden administration. In that sense, President Nayib Bukele, who has become known abroad for his anti-crime policies and for the mega prisons he has built in his country, has been given space in interviews for U.S. audiences explaining that one of the main causes of migration from Latin America is the lack of security, and insisting that the U.S. government should work hand in hand with governments like his to combat violence in Latin America and thereby reduce migration to the United States.
Voz Media is the only Hispanic media outlet at CPAC with full coverage and a spot in the television and media area. Throughout these three days of speeches, we will have interviews, analysis, and all the details of a conference that this year has surprised with its sizeable Latino quota.
