The National Conservatism Conference, or NatCon, boasted its highest registration since its creation, nearly doubling its attendance from just four years ago.

The fifth NatCon was held in Washington, D.C., the first following President Donald Trump‘s return to the White House. The victorious atmosphere helped draw in a record crowd. Organizers of the conference told the Washington Examiner that 1,253 people registered, a nearly 80% increase from NatCon 2 in Orlando (2021), which had 688 registrations.

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Organizers provided figures showing steady growth of the conference, with 921 registrations for Miami’s NatCon 3 and 1,058 registrations for Washington, D.C.’s NatCon 4.

The conference’s growth reflects the growing prominence of national conservatism on the Right, which is widely viewed as one of the primary successor ideologies to the Republican old guard.

NatCon organizer Yoram Hazony noted his ideological compatriots’ outsize role in the Trump administration in his opening remarks on the first day of NatCon on Tuesday.

“Our friends are in power,” Hazony told the audience. “Hundreds of people like you are in the administration.”

Hazony and most other speakers praised Trump, embracing his approach during his second term.

“I think the Trump administration is the best I’ve ever seen,” Hazony said, drawing applause.

He praised Trump’s handling of immigration, crime, reindustrialization, foreign policy shifts toward empowering regional actors, and more. He held that the second Trump administration represented a seizure of power of NatCon’s allies.

Reflecting the increased prominence of the conference, several major lawmakers and officials delivered speeches, including Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Sens. Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Eric Schmitt (R-MO), and Rep. Riley Moore (R-WV).

Speaking with the Washington Examiner on Tuesday, British attendee and Bombshells podcast host Fleur Power said the difference between this year’s conference and previous ventures was night and day. She had gone to two previous NatCons in Europe, in London in 2023 and Brussels in 2024. She called last year’s Brussels conference “infamous,” witnessing a host of problems.

The venue was moved three times, was briefly shut down altogether by Brussels Mayor Emir Kir, police locked guests in a venue, some guests had to be “smuggled in,” caterers weren’t let in, and more.

NATIONAL CONSERVATIVES GATHER IN WASHINGTON TO CONSOLIDATE MOVEMENT

This year’s NatCon saw none of those problems and a much larger crowd.

“Well, it’s in Washington, D.C. You have so much money here, and you have nice hotels and nice surroundings, and it’s a really hopeful time for you guys here, and the energy is different. It’s like you are in your summer,” Power said.