CPAC 2021 - live: Gold Trump statue unveiled as Republican summit branded ‘Woodstock for election liars’

Donald Trump has been a staple at the Conservative Political Action Conference since he became president in 2017. (Getty Images)
Donald Trump has been a staple at the Conservative Political Action Conference since he became president in 2017. (Getty Images)
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The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) is underway in Orlando, Florida, with a gold statue of ousted president Donald Trump raising eyebrows ahead of his headline speech on Sunday, his first public engagement since leaving the White House for Mar-a-Lago a month ago.

Mr Trump is widely expected to announce a 2024 presidential run during his address to the four-day gathering - described as “Woodstock for election liars” by CNN anchor Anderson Cooper - a prospect dismissed by his White House successor Joe Biden, who has said he will not be paying attention.

This year’s event is themed “America Uncancelled” but one former Trump ally, ex-UN ambassador Nikki Haley, seems herself to have been cancelled by conservatives after being excluded from its confirmed speakers list. The Republican Party is currently mired in internal conflict following the US Capitol riot and Mr Trump’s second impeachment, with pro-Trump loyalists and establishment moderates locked in a feud that could determine its future.