The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) opens on 27 February at the the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Centre in National Harbour, Maryland.

A four-day gathering of right-wing activists from across the United States, CPAC’s keynote speaker this year will be Donald Trump – his third-consecutive outing – following the president’s return from Hanoi, Vietnam, where he is meeting with North Korea’s Kim Jong-un to discuss Pyongyang's nuclear arsenal.

The conference was founded in 1974 by the American Conservative Union and Young Americans for Freedom and its inaugural address was given by Ronald Reagan, then California governor and a presidential candidate two years later, who used the platform to lay out his vision for the country before delegates.

It has since become a hugely influential occasion, an opportunity for American conservatives to come together to compare notes on an array of issues concerning their value system, from the Second Amendment right to bear arms to abortion.

The event has struggled to disentangle itself from the so-called “alt-right” in recent years, turning away the likes of Milo Yiannopoulos in 2016 (after initially inviting him) and neo-Nazi Richard Spencer in 2017 because of his “repugnant” white supremacist opinions. But it has host contributors from Breitbart, including the outlet’s former executive and White House chief strategist Steve Bannon.

Trump's inner circle: Meet the members of the US president's cabinet Show all 20 1 /20 Trump's inner circle: Meet the members of the US president's cabinet Trump's inner circle: Meet the members of the US president's cabinet Donald Trump's Cabinet Donald Trump's Cabinet is one the richest in American history, filled with billionaires, conservatives and several career politicians. AFP/Getty Trump's inner circle: Meet the members of the US president's cabinet Mike Pence US Vice President Mike Pence has defended Donald Trump throughout his presidency while walking a fine line to avoid any public involvement in major scandals. AFP/Getty Trump's inner circle: Meet the members of the US president's cabinet Mike Pompeo Secretary of State Mike Pompeo replaced Donald Trump's previous appointment to the post, Rex Tillerson, and has led talks with North Korea in establishing high-profile summits between the president and Kim Jong Un. Getty Trump's inner circle: Meet the members of the US president's cabinet Wilbur Ross Secretary of Commerce Wibur Ross raised controversy when he was accused of falsely claiming to have sold stock in a bank and violated a government ethics agreement. AFP/Getty Trump's inner circle: Meet the members of the US president's cabinet Robert Lighthizer US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer has been a fixture in Donald Trump's ongoing trade spat with China. AFP/Getty Trump's inner circle: Meet the members of the US president's cabinet William Barr Attorney General William Barr replaced Jeff Sessions as the nation's top cop in early 2019 and has refused to commit to recusing himself from the Russia probe despite an unsolicited memo he sent to the Justice Department decrying the investigation. EPA Trump's inner circle: Meet the members of the US president's cabinet Rick Perry Energy Secretary Rick Perry has held his post throughout Donald Trump's presidency despite previously undermining the need for the agency he now leads in past public statements. Ken Shipp / United States Department of Energy Trump's inner circle: Meet the members of the US president's cabinet Betsy DeVos Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has also held her post throughout the presidency, despite major backlash to her apparent undermining of the nationwide public school system and advocacy for charter programmes. Getty Trump's inner circle: Meet the members of the US president's cabinet Steven Mnuchin Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has faced numerous controversies throughout his tenure as the head of Treasury, including costing taxpayers at least a million dollars in travel expenses. AP Trump's inner circle: Meet the members of the US president's cabinet Robert Wilkie Veterans Affairs secretary Robert Wilkie was appointed after Donald Trump's White House doctor Ronny Jackson withdrew over allegations he provided prescription drugs to patients without prescriptions. AFP/Getty Trump's inner circle: Meet the members of the US president's cabinet David Bernhardt Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt took office in January 2019 after the resignation of Ryan Zinke after previously serving as Zinke's deputy. Before taking office Bernhardt worked for many years as a solicitor for the Department of the Interior. Tami Heilemann / United States Department of the Interior Trump's inner circle: Meet the members of the US president's cabinet Elaine Chao Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao has held her post throughout the presidency and has mostly avoided controversy, despite a report claiming her office has been in frequent coordination with her husband's, Mitch McConnell. AFP/Getty Trump's inner circle: Meet the members of the US president's cabinet Kevin McAleenan Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Kevin McAleenan took over from Kirstjen Nielsen after she resigned in April 2019. He previously worked as the executive director of the executive director of the Office of Anti Terrorism in the Customs and Border Protection agency United States Customs and Border Protection Trump's inner circle: Meet the members of the US president's cabinet Ben Carson Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson was appointed shortly after Donald Trump took office and raised controversy over an exorbitant furnishing bill for his office. Reuters Trump's inner circle: Meet the members of the US president's cabinet Gina Haspel CIA Director Gina Haspel was appointed in 2018 and faced backlash surrounding her oversight of Guantanamo Bay. Getty Trump's inner circle: Meet the members of the US president's cabinet Dan Coats Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats could be the next person to leave Donald Trump's administration over his refuting the president's claims surrounding ISIS. Reuters Trump's inner circle: Meet the members of the US president's cabinet Sonny Perdue Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue has been dogged by ethics questions throughout his tenure and faced controversy when emails showed the agency appeared willing to eagerly work with lobbyists under his leadership. Reuters Trump's inner circle: Meet the members of the US president's cabinet Alex Azar Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar is a former pharmaceutical lobbyist and former drug company executive. Getty Trump's inner circle: Meet the members of the US president's cabinet Mick Mulvaney Acting Chief of Staff and Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney has described himself as one of the most conservative officials in the White House. EPA Trump's inner circle: Meet the members of the US president's cabinet Robert Wilkie Secretary of State for Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie has spent his career on Capitol Hill serving in various roles in foreign affairs and defence. He holds the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the US Air Force Reserve. Gene Russell / United States Department of Veterans Affairs

CPAC has become a home to Mr Trump in that time, with attendees waving Russian flags during his speech in 2017 to mock the alllegations of electoral collusion between the Kremlin and his campaign.

Recent seminars at CPAC have had titles like “Kim Jong Un-iversity: How College Campuses are Turning into Re-education Camps”, “New Sheriff in Town: How Trump is Taking Down Lawless Government Agencies” and “An Affair to Remember: How the Far Left and the Mainstream Media Got in Bed Together”, giving a flavour of the pro-Trump sentiment being fostered from the convention floor.

It is also a stronghold for the National Rifle Association, with executive vice-president Wayne LaPierre sparking controversy last year by suggesting gun control advocates “hate freedom” little more than a week on from the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

Political celebrities appearing include Hollywood actor Gary Sinise, Super Bowl winner Benjamin Watson, African-American Trump campaigners Diamond and Silk and Candace Owens, an outspoken far-right commentator known for her criticism of the Black Lives Matter movement who rose to prominence when rapper Kanye West enthused about her work on Twitter.

Antonia Okafor, chief executive of EmPOWERed, a feminist gun rights organisation and Lila Grace Rose, president of anti-abortion group Live Action, are examples of representatives from single-issue pressure groups who will be taking to the stage.

From the House and Senate, CPAC 2019 will see speeches from the likes of Republican congressmen Devin Nunes, Mark Meadows, Mike Gallagher, Barry Loudermilk, Dan Crenshaw and Tom McClintock and senators Lindsey Graham, Marsha Blackburn, Josh Hawley, David Perdue, Matt Gaetz and Kevin Cramer.

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Governors Scott Walker and Matt Bevin of Wisconsin and Kentucky respectively will both appear, as will ex-presidential candidate Rick Santorum.

From the right-wing press, audiences will hear: Matthew Boyle, Washington political editor for Breitbart; Marc Thiessen, author, Washington Post columnist and Fox contributor; and Saagar Enjeti and Chuck Ross from The Daily Caller.