Trump to skip major annual conservative gathering for first time in decade

US President Donald Trump will not attend a major annual gathering of American conservatives for the first time in a decade, a White House official said on Wednesday.The Republican billionaire has been a marquee fixture at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) since 2016, but will miss this year’s edition due to a busy schedule amid the “ongoing Iran conflict”, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.The conference this year is being held from Wednesday to Saturday near Dallas, Texas, with Trump originally expected to be the keynote speaker on the final day.The president is nonetheless scheduled to speak on Friday afternoon at FII Priority, a Saudi-backed investment summit in Miami, according to the event’s website.At CPAC, top Republicans will seek to rally their conservative base heading into the November midterm elections, which will decide if Trump’s party maintains control of Congress for his final two years in office.This year’s line-up also has an added geopolitical edge, with speakers including the exiled Iranian crown prince Reza Pahlavi, who is seeking to present himself as an interim leader to lead Iran should its clerical leaders fall.