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GRAPEVINE, Texas — <\/span>Conservatives are holding one of their largest annual gatherings at a perilous political moment for President Donald Trump and with open division on the right over the war he launched in Iran.<\/a><\/p>\n While Trump maintains broad support among conservatives, the war in Iran is more than a wrinkle for activists drawn to his \u201cAmerica First\u201d campaign pledge against getting involved in foreign conflicts<\/a>. The debate will be a subtext \u2014 and likely flare publicly \u2014 as thousands of activists, influencers and Republican lawmakers gather at the Conservative Political Action Conference that begins Wednesday outside Dallas. <\/p>\n The gathering will be a contrast to the celebratory meeting<\/a> one year ago where Trump, newly returned to office, vowed to \u201cforge a new and lasting political majority\u201d and Elon Musk wielded a chainsaw to symbolize how the administration was slashing the government workforce and red tape.<\/p>\n This year, neither Trump nor Vice President JD Vance has been publicly announced as speaking to the gathering. But among those who are slated to speak are big names in the MAGA movement who have voiced conflicting views on the Iran war. <\/p>\n “This is obviously going to be a hot topic,\u201d said John Gizzi, a CPAC veteran and columnist for the conservative media outlet Newsmax, who noted the possibility of greater U.S. involvement over an uncertain length of time. <\/p>\n Among the featured speakers scheduled at the four-day event is longtime Trump ally Steve Bannon. Bannon said during his War Room podcast this month that should the war become \u201ca hard slog,” it could cost the GOP conservative voters ahead of the midterms. <\/p>\n \u201cWe are going to bleed support,\u201d Bannon said. <\/p>\n Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who supports the war, also is on the agenda at the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center.<\/p>\n \u201cI think President Trump was exactly right to act to protect Americans,\u201d Cruz said last week in a CBS News interview.<\/p>\n Former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz\u2019s scheduled speaking slot is a reminder of the disagreement among some conservatives about the U.S. military alliance with Israel against Iran.<\/p>\n Gaetz, host of a show on the conservative One America News Network, has said the U.S. has been too cozy with Israel as popular conservative personalities such as Tucker Carlson have challenged conservatives\u2019 longtime bond with the country, prompting criticism from GOP groups, including pro-Israel Republicans, of antisemitism.<\/p>\n Others scheduled to speak include Trump border czar Tom Homan and former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley, who is running for the U.S. Senate in North Carolina. <\/p>\n A year after Trump presided over the group’s jubilant conference upon his return to office, he is in a much different place. <\/p>\n At war while worries about jobs and household costs linger, his approval is down<\/a>. His signature domestic policy, aimed at tightening voting rules ahead of November’s midterm elections, has stalled in a Congress his party controls, while the House Republican majority is in jeopardy and the party’s hold on the Senate is less certain than a year ago.<\/p>\n Despite the dividing lines, Trump enjoys enduring approval from his party\u2019s right flank. Eighty-six percent of conservatives said they approved of the president\u2019s job performance in a February AP-NORC poll. <\/p>\n And while Trump’s supporters remain devoted, some within the most conservative circles say division over Iran could signal trouble for Republicans in November. <\/p>\n Texas Rep. Steve Toth, who plans to attend CPAC, suggested Trump\u2019s support remains robust among conservatives, but that Republican messaging on the war could be stronger.<\/p>\n \u201cFrom MAGA people, for the most part, I don\u2019t hear frustration with the president,\u201d said Toth, who beat incumbent Republican<\/a> Rep. Dan Crenshaw in Texas\u2019 March 3 primary. \u201cI don\u2019t know that we\u2019re doing a great job at communicating the full ramifications.\u201d<\/p>\n