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Liam O'Dell
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Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images
Footage continues to circulate of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) circle retreat and gala at Mar-a-Lago this week, which brought conservatives together at the Palm Beach club for a "rallying cry for freedom" - and one video involving synchronised swimmers has left social media users angry and weirded out.
Organisers said the gala - which ran at the Florida site from Tuesday to Friday - would discuss "key issues" including “safeguarding American borders … combating online censorship, and promoting faith-based conservative values to strengthen communities”.
It also said: "This year’s CPAC Circle Retreat and Gala at the beautiful Mar-a-lago Club, held from November 4-7, 2025, shifts the focus toward energizing patriots ahead of the 2026 midterms, emphasizing the need to maintain conservative gains in Congress and beyond."
Attendance at the gala on Thursday was priced at $5,000, while the full-event experience set people back $7,500.
High profile names at the event included Trump official Richard Grenell (who once got upset about the existence of a gingerbread person) and former NFL star Jack Brewer.
And it appears part of the experience on offer included a performance by two synchronised swimmers to the song “God Bless The USA”.
Yes, really.
After the Twitter/X account PatriotTakes shared footage at the weekend, others soon responded to criticise the images, given the ongoing issues surrounding grocery prices and food stamps.
Policy consultant Adam Cochran described it as “some Hunger Games bulls***”:
Another said it “might just be the most out-of-touch dystopian funny thing I’ve ever watched”:
“These people are f***ing weird,” wrote a third:
It’s not the only odd moment to emerge from this week’s CPAC event, as Twitter/X users condemned scenes in which Argentinian president Javier Milei performed Trump’s well-known dance moves to “YMCA”.
This came after his country received a $20 billion bailout from the US, and Trump decided to stop funding the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Progam (or SNAP, for short) at the start of November.
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