Former Vice President Mike Pence has declined an invitation to attend this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference, Fox News has learned.
Pence was invited to speak at the annual event, but turned it down, according to a source familiar with event planning.
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Former President Donald Trump will be in attendance, however, as he is scheduled to make his first major public appearance since leaving office.
Two sources told Fox News that Trump plans to address the conference on Sunday, Feb. 28. The event will kick off Thursday in Orlando, Florida.
Members of Pence’s team had said Pence harbored some “bitterness” toward Trump after the January 6 riot at the Capitol.
Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace reported earlier this month that, according to Pence’s aides, Trump’s failure to blow off the crowd and ensure the safety of his loyal second-in-command was the “ultimate betrayal.”
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However, former Pence chief of staff Marc Short told Fox News on Friday that Pence and Trump are still talking.
Trump is expected to talk about the future of the Republican Party and the Conservative movement. Also look for him to take on President Biden’s “disastrous amnesty and border policies,” said a source familiar with Trump’s speech.
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The former president has remained relatively quiet since he left the White House on Jan. 20, but has expressed a desire to remain politically active and told his supporters that the MAGA movement is still in full swing following his impeachment acquittal.
“Our historic, patriotic and beautiful movement to make America Great Again (MAGA) is just beginning,” Trump said in a statement last week. “Over the next few months I have a lot to share with you, and I look forward to continuing our incredible journey together to achieve American greatness for all of our people. There has never been anything like it!”
Fox News’ Mark Meredith, Marisa Schultz and Yael Halon contributed to this report.