Donald Trump returns to speak at CPAC's conservative jamboree

Paul Harris
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 5 March 2013 23.11 GMT

Donald Trump and Chris Christie are both outsized personalities, but only one of them is apparently big enough to speak at the CPAC conservative gathering next week – and it is not the New Jersey governor.

Just days after creating headlines by not inviting Christie to one of the biggest events on the Republican calendar, the American Conservative Union has again dismayed much of its core constituency by extending a hand to Trump, a reality TV star known for embracing the "birther" conspiracy theory that suggests Barack Obama may have been born outside the US.

"Donald Trump is an American patriot with a massive following among small-government conservatives. I look forward to welcoming him back to the CPAC stage next week," said ACU chair Al Cardenas.

Compare that to Cardenas' explanation of why he had snubbed Christie: "CPAC is like the all-star game for professional athletes; you get invited when you have had an outstanding year. Hopefully he will have another all-star year in the future, at which time we will be happy to extend an invitation. This is a conservative conference, not a Republican party event."

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