The annual Conservative Political Action Conference kicked off in Orlando, Florida, Friday morning, with America Conservative Union Chairman Matt Schlapp saying that the conference had been moved from its usual location in Maryland because "that state tried to cancel us because they think it's unsafe" to hold a large in-person gathering during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Schlapp said they had gladly moved the conference to Florida, where they were welcomed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who then opened the conference by declaring that Florida has remained "an oasis of freedom" during the pandemic.
"Florida got it right, and the lockdown states got it wrong," DeSantis bragged, portraying his state as one where people are not inconvenienced by having to abide by COVID-19 protocols or hassled for refusing to do so.
It was therefore a little ironic when a short while later, two CPAC staff members took the stage to sheepishly remind attendees that they were guests at the hotel and, as such, were expected to comply with the hotel's policy requiring the wearing of masks while in the ballroom.
Predictably, they were immediately met with a chorus of boos and cries of "freedom!" from outraged attendees.
