CPAC cancels speaker over anti-Semitic social media comments

The upcoming annual Conservative Political Action Conference — where former President Donald Trump will make his first speech since leaving the White House on Sunday — booted a hip-hop artist and right-wing social media figure who was scheduled to appear over anti-Semitic tweets.

“We have just learned that someone we invited to CPAC has expressed reprehensible views that have no home with our conference or our organization,” CPAC organizers said Monday in a tweeted statement. “The individual will not be participating at our conference.”

Young Pharaoh, the hip-hop artist whose appearance was canceled, reacted with an anti-Semitic tweet. He called CPAC’s decision “#CENSORSHIP AT ITS BEST!”

He said he’d been removed from the lineup because he’d claimed he does not “BELIEVE IN THE VALIDITY” of Judaism, and wanted to bet $50,000 on himself in a debate with “THE TOP #JEWISH RABBI”

The cancellation of Young Pharaoh’s appearance came after Media Matters for America surfaced his long history of anti-Semitic comments on social media, which include calling the religion a “complete lie” that was “made up for political gain.” He has also embraced several wild conspiracy theories about the coronavirus pandemic, the January 6 riot at the Capitol and more.

The annual conservative gathering is set to take place in Orlando, Florida, later this week. CPAC is a major annual event on the right and has been a major boost for some Republican presidential candidates, including Ronald Reagan — who delivered his famous “Shining City upon a Hill” speech at the first CPAC in 1974 — and Trump.

Young Pharaoh — described in CPAC’s program as a “Philosopher, Scholar, Musician” — was set to appear on a Sunday panel titled “Please Check the Number and Dial Again: Doubt, Dysfunction, and the Price of Missed Opportunities.” What’s not clear is how CPAC organizers missed Young Pharaoh’s long history of anti-Semitism and conspiratorial comments, which have long been a major part of his social media presence.

Young Pharaoh’s cancellation came in a year when CPAC titled its gathering “America Uncanceled,” a nod to right-wing complaints about “cancel culture” that have heightened since Twitter and other platforms banned Trump following the January 6 riot spurred by Trump’s attempts to cancel key states’ results in the 2020 election.