CPAC Mocked For Canceling ‘Reprehensible’ Guest From Anti-Cancel Culture Event
Irony alert: A conservative conference themed against so-called “cancel culture” just canceled a speaker.
Last February, the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) featured then-President Donald Trump memorably groping an American flag as he gave himself an “A-plus-plus-plus” grade for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic (“Everything is under control”). The 2020 conference also featured a prankster disguised as Trump interrupting then-Vice President Mike Pence. That prankster turned out to be Sacha Baron Cohen, who was filming a bit for his then-secret “Borat” sequel.
This year’s theme is “America Uncanceled,” yet the organization has already tweeted a cancelation:
We have just learned that someone we invited to CPAC has expressed reprehensible views that have no home with our conference or our organization. The individual will not be participating at our conference.
— CPAC 2021 (@CPAC) February 22, 2021
The tweet didn’t name the individual, but earlier in the day CPAC canceled a speaker named Young Pharaoh over his habit of making anti-Semitic claims; these comments were uncovered by the progressive watchdog group Media Matters. Young Pharaoh has called Judaism a “complete lie,” used the phrase “thieving fake Jews” and wrote on Twitter that “all the censorship & pedophilia on social media is being done by Israeli Jews.”
Other speakers scheduled to appear at this year’s conference include a return visit from Trump, who lied about the 2020 election and then incited a violent insurrection against the U.S. government; Wayne Dupree, who claimed the Sandy Hook school massacre was a “hoax” carried out by “crisis actors” and other lies; and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), who was accused of covering up for a sexually abusive doctor when he was a wrestling coach at Ohio State University, among others.
In other words, many believed “the individual” who had “expressed reprehensible views” could’ve been just about anyone on the guest list. Twitter critics had a field day with the cancelation at the “America Uncanceled” event and mockingly trying to guess “the individual”:
Cancelling a speaker at "Uncancelled". Reminds me of: pic.twitter.com/zYvWciV21f
— Duane A Daugherty (@realMrDoggity) February 22, 2021
Dear @CPAC: Are you referring to the reprehensible view that the election was stolen? Or find 11,780 votes? Or stand by to a white nationalist group? So many to choose from. https://t.co/3YfTXgv0aY
— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) February 22, 2021
Sweetie, you're gonna have to be more specific. This describes all your attendees.
— Charlotte Clymer 🏳️🌈 (@cmclymer) February 22, 2021
this you? pic.twitter.com/c4R0GD3PmK
— Jamison Foser (@jamisonfoser) February 22, 2021
Sounds like someone is being canceled.
— the royal gorilla 👑🦍 (@jaydestro) February 22, 2021
Trump isn’t on Twitter. You’ll have to call him. https://t.co/La4zwVKRq4
— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) February 22, 2021
it's CPAC so I assume they mean someone accidentally said kids shouldn't starve or something https://t.co/YOEvCK2Pyb
— maura quint (@behindyourback) February 22, 2021
You can’t make this stuff up, folks. pic.twitter.com/dxIt9siieK
— Rev Lucifer Johnson (@ProtestCheese) February 22, 2021
Views too reprehensible for CPAC? Please tell us more.
— Rachel Vindman (@natsechobbyist) February 22, 2021
ah well then pic.twitter.com/pwfqXKNX3P
— kilgore trout, ted’s travel agent (@KT_So_It_Goes) February 22, 2021
thoughts and prayers for whoever has to tell Donald Trump he’s no longer welcome
— shauna (@goldengateblond) February 22, 2021
Why Do These Bigots Keep Speaking At Our Conference? pic.twitter.com/N8KlRsYgWs
— Sleeping Giants (@slpng_giants) February 22, 2021
If "expressing reprehensible views" is the standard, you might as well just show cartoons for three days bc there won't be anyone qualified to participate.
— Thom (@ThomboyD) February 22, 2021
"Is this...what they call #CancelCulture ?"https://t.co/XXPI04miOr pic.twitter.com/hMymcFT0RD
— Fascism flattened, but never the webrant🕺------🕺 (@web_rant) February 22, 2021
So, the whole thing is cancelled then? 🤷🏽♀️🤨 https://t.co/ff4ObeiQLU
— Tara Setmayer (@TaraSetmayer) February 22, 2021
Wait till they find out their keynote speaker incited a violent insurrection! https://t.co/bmEFSRsIVF
— Brett Meiselas (@BMeiselas) February 22, 2021
the irony... pic.twitter.com/Y8pmJyxQp9
— Zachary Petrizzo (@ZTPetrizzo) February 22, 2021
This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.