NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — A conquering President Trump will return to CPAC on Friday to address conservative activists, who are happy with his first month in office but have yet to be completely sold on his agenda.

A year ago, Trump won just 15 percent in the straw poll of attendees at the Conservative Political Action Conference, finishing a distant third behind the winner, Sen. Ted Cruz Rafael (Ted) Edward CruzLoeffler calls for hearing in wake of Netflix's 'Cuties' Health care in the crosshairs with new Trump Supreme Court list 'Parks and Rec' cast members hosting special reunion to raise money for Wisconsin Democrats MORE (R-Texas), at 40 percent, and runner-up Sen. Marco Rubio Marco Antonio RubioFlorida senators pushing to keep Daylight Savings Time during pandemic Hillicon Valley: DOJ indicts Chinese, Malaysian hackers accused of targeting over 100 organizations | GOP senators raise concerns over Oracle-TikTok deal | QAnon awareness jumps in new poll Intelligence chief says Congress will get some in-person election security briefings MORE (R-Fla.), at 30 percent.

Trump has since taken over the Republican Party, and in last year’s GOP presidential primary he triumphed over both Cruz and Rubio.

White House chief of staff Reince Priebus and senior adviser Stephen Bannon received standing ovations from CPAC attendees as they slammed the media and talked up Trump’s agenda.

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White House counselor Kellyanne Conway, who received a similarly warm reception, joked that enthusiasm for the president was so high that “by tomorrow, this will be TPAC.”

Conservatives attending the meeting said the president has eased concerns over his ideological principles by selecting what Cruz on Thursday called the most conservative cabinet in memory.

“They are pumped about who Trump has appointed to his cabinet and about his Supreme Court nominee. They are happy about what they’re seeing coming out of this administration,” said Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback (R), who for years was one of the most conservative members of the Senate and a regular attendee at CPAC.

Brownback said doubts about Trump among conservatives have “by and large” receded, though he acknowledged they haven’t completely settled.

There is disquiet over Trump’s talk of a $1 trillion infrastructure investment package, and the president’s pledge not to touch Medicare is another point of contention from conservatives who see it as a major driver of federal deficits.

Trump’s criticism of trade deals and promises to renegotiate them — his economic nationalism championed by Bannon — has caused some angst from rural conservatives who have long sought markets for agricultural products.

“There’s still people who are trying to figure out the economic populism message to some degree, what all that means,” Brownback added.

CPAC has never been home turf for Trump.

He pulled out of the conference at the last minute last year in the midst of a controversy over several donations he made to the American Conservative Union, the group that sponsors the conference. Rivals grumbled that he was trying to influence the outcome of the straw poll.

A year earlier, he didn’t even register in the 2015 poll, which Sen. Rand Paul Randal (Rand) Howard PaulSecond GOP senator to quarantine after exposure to coronavirus GOP senator to quarantine after coronavirus exposure The Hill's Morning Report - Sponsored by National Industries for the Blind - Trump seeks to flip 'Rage' narrative; Dems block COVID-19 bill MORE (R-Ky.) won with 25.7 percent support, followed by Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R), who collected 21.4 percent support.

In 2014, another CPAC poll won by Paul, Trump finished tied for 14th place with 1 percent along with former Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels (R) and Sens. John Thune John Randolph ThuneThe Hill's 12:30 Report - Presented by Facebook - Don't expect a government check anytime soon The Hill's Morning Report - Sponsored by The Air Line Pilots Association - Trump contradicts CDC director on vaccine, masks Senate GOP eyes early exit MORE (R-S.D.) and Rob Portman Robert (Rob) Jones PortmanRomney undecided on authorizing subpoenas for GOP Obama-era probes Congress needs to prioritize government digital service delivery House passes B bill to boost Postal Service MORE (R-Ohio).

Jim DeMint, the president of the conservative Heritage Foundation and a former senator from South Carolina, said Trump’s poor performance reflected his lack of organization more than any inherent unpopularity.

“You know the way these straw polls work, it’s basically who’s organized and bussing people in to do it. It’s never been reflective of which conservative is the most popular,” said DeMint.

He said if CPAC were polling attendees for the 2020 GOP nomination, Trump would win.

Because Trump is a pragmatist looking to cut deals and rack up accomplishments, DeMint said conservative activists can’t sit back and assume his administration will continue on the same trajectory as the past several months, when his Cabinet and court picks met their expectations.

“I think he is very practical. He wants to do what works and we’re going to show him that conservative ideas work,” he said.

Trump increased trust among conservatives during the campaign when he tapped Indiana Gov. Mike Pence Michael (Mike) Richard PenceControversial CDC guidelines were written by HHS officials, not scientists: report Former DeVos chief of staff joins anti-Trump group Scott Walker helping to prep Pence for debate against Harris: report MORE, a regular CPAC attendee, as his running mate.

Robert Bluey, the editor in chief of The Daily Signal, a conservative publication, who started attending CPAC in 2003, said activists didn’t know what to think of him in the past because “he didn’t have a policy record.”

“All of the other people who were running for president, you could see where they stood on issues of life and taxes and spending,” he noted. “There was some skepticism because of things he had said in the past in TV interviews and his association with some politicians.”

Trump had donated money to Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonHillicon Valley: FBI chief says Russia is trying to interfere in election to undermine Biden | Treasury Dept. sanctions Iranian government-backed hackers The Hill's Campaign Report: Arizona shifts towards Biden | Biden prepares for drive-in town hall | New Biden ad targets Latino voters FBI chief says Russia is trying to interfere in election to undermine Biden MORE and in 2008 hosted a fundraiser for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee at his Palm Beach resort hotel Mar-a-Lago.

He convinced Republican voters during the campaign that those expressions of support were nothing more than practical business maneuvering done to survive in Washington’s pay-to-play environment of policymaking and regulation.

Over the last three months, he won points among activists by naming former Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-S.C.), a leading deficit hawk in Congress, to head his budget office; Betsy DeVos, a prominent advocate for vouchers and school choice, to head the Education Department; former Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, a leading opponent of federal environmental regulation, to head the Environmental Protection Agency; and former Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.), an outspoken advocate of Medicare reform, to run the Department of Health and Human Services.

“It’s probably still a trust-but-verify approach that a lot of people take but they’re more receptive to him based on his actions,” Bluey said of conservatives’ evolving views of Trump.

Ben Kamisar contributed.