If Donald Trump, Jr. was hoping to get support for a political run he did not receive it at Friday’s Conservative Political Action Conference. The son of the former president was the last speaker of the day, but had to address a room with more empty chairs than he probably expected. There was no attempt to be “socially distant” at CPAC, and it was definitely not “standing room only.”

The conservative crowd did not seem terribly impressed or thrilled with Trump Jr.’s remarks. At one point, when he compared CNN’s chief media correspondent Brian Stelter (who he called Brian Slettler) to “Mr. Potato Head,” claiming that everyone makes that comparison (almost no one makes that comparison, except for this guy and a Fox News host), he got enough pushback that he had to try to defend his ugly attack.

Jr. also tried to pull off jokes like, “Liz Cheney is less popular than her father is at a quail hunt,” referring to the former vice president accidentally shooting an acquaintance in the face – in 2006, 15 years ago. There likely were attendees in the room who literally were too young to know what he was talking about. When some groaned he declared, “fact check: true.”

Trump Jr.’s speech was his usual mix of lies, half-truths, and self-victimization, accentuated with a big lie about something incredibly irrelevant: “The Muppets” (no offense meant to any Muppets.)

“This month, this month alone, they’ve banned The Muppets,” Trump Jr. lied, blaming “the radical left” for the cancellation that did not happen.

“Right. I mean, if there’s things that you thought were sort of above cancellation, you would be wrong. There is nothing, the radical left won’t cancel. ”

He was probably referring to Disney +, where almost every Muppet episode can now be seen. Entertainment Weekly reports that two episodes are missing, one because Disney could not secure the rights to the music in an episode, and one because the guest star of that episode is now a convicted sex offender and was “found guilty of possessing child pornography.”

BBC News adds that Disney has added a content warning to the beginning of some episodes over “negative stereotypes.”

That’s not cancelling The Muppets, although Trump’s father has made clear he doesn’t like warning labels on his content either.

Watch:

“They’ve banned the muppets” pic.twitter.com/MgWAFc58vk

— Acyn (@Acyn) February 26, 2021

A few responses:

(1) No one has banned the Muppets. They’re on Disney+ now.
(2) This grievance has nothing to do with policy and also isn’t real (see 1).
(3) The right’s issue often isn’t policy, it’s just emotional—we don’t like them, they suck!
(4) There’s coke back in your room Donnie… https://t.co/JWleY4m1nH

— Young Daddy (@Toure) February 26, 2021

For the record, The Muppets were the opposite of ‘banned’.

They were *added* to the Disney+ platform, not removed.

They will lie about anything and everything, now matter how easily debunk-able it is. https://t.co/5nIe8hqwtW

— TrumpsTaxes (@TrumpsTaxes) February 26, 2021

If cancel culture was an ~actual~ problem, you’d think conservatives would be able to point to *real* things that *actually* happened rather than lying about shit

The Muppets weren’t banned, episodes weren’t removed … it’s all a farce https://t.co/5bQ9hIuysH

— Lis Power (@LisPower1) February 26, 2021

Don Junior just thinks the Muppets are banned because he can’t figure out how to get the Disney+ to work

— Twice-Impeached, One-Term Trumpy (parody) (@outofcontroljb) February 26, 2021

Yes, the Muppets were “banned” by putting the series on a popular streaming service

— Taco McGibblets (@TMcgibblets) February 26, 2021

He needs to explain why I can still see the Muppets any time if they are banned. pic.twitter.com/U5bQlDYEwX

— REDACTED Human Scum/hand washer/mask wearer (@mrshellwinger) February 26, 2021

90% of the grievances are cultural ones for which no political or policy solution exists. This is the core of the right at this moment. https://t.co/oVrTD9gVU6

— Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) February 26, 2021

I know that the right is unable to trust media so they can’t use Google to fact check the lies their leaders tell them but Donnie T says “They banned the Muppets” but you can just go on Disney+ and see that they’re not banned. Is the homepage of Disney+ fake news, too? I’m tired.

— Young Daddy (@Toure) February 26, 2021

Nobody banned the Muppets. Nobody censored the Muppets. The Muppets have ONLY become vastly more accessible in the past week. Infinitely more accessible, which is like the OPPOSITE of banning the Muppets.

Donny Jr. should be ranting, “They proliferated the Muppets!”

— Daniel Fienberg (@TheFienPrint) February 26, 2021

Conservatives continue to reward Republicans who fought to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) was one of the most prominent proponents of the “Big Lie” that Donald Trump actually won the presidential election. Hawley refused to accept the outcome of the election even after the Electoral College voted to confirm Joe Biden’s victory in December.

Hawley continued his efforts to overturn the election even after the fatal January. 6th insurrection by supporters of Trump who believed Hawley’s misinformation.

While the senator has been harshly criticized in Missouri, he was cheered on Friday when he bragged about siding with the insurrectionists while speaking to the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando.

Many in the crowed even gave him a standing ovation.

Watch:

Hawley gets a standing ovation after he brings up his January 6 vote to overthrow a free and fair election and Joe Biden won pic.twitter.com/55rsSGBZNs

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 26, 2021

Four of the Republican Party’s most extreme House lawmakers have submitted signed letters claiming they must vote by proxy due to the ongoing health crisis, the coronavirus pandemic. But as CNN’s Manu Raju reports, all four are in sunny Florida attending or even speaking at CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Conference.

“Several Republicans in the House have skipped Friday’s votes and enlisted their colleagues to vote on their behalf, signing letters saying they couldn’t attend ‘due to the ongoing public health emergency.’ But those members are scheduled to be at CPAC,” Raju reports.

“The members include Rep. Matt Gaetz,” Raju adds, “as well as some of Trump’s staunchest defenders who are listed as speakers, like Reps. Paul Gosar of Arizona, Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina and Ted Budd of North Carolina.”

The letters say: “I am unable to physically attend proceedings in the House Chamber due to the ongoing public health emergency.”
The House has had several votes on Friday and is scheduled to take up the $1.9 trillion Covid relief bill in the evening

— Manu Raju (@mkraju) February 26, 2021

Here’s Rep. Matt Gaetz on Thursday at CPAC, apparently unconcerned about the coronavirus as he walks maskless in the halls laughing with supporters:

Rep. Matt Gaetz taking pictures with fans pic.twitter.com/jBQ0DSYOQe

— William Turton (@WilliamTurton) February 26, 2021

Republicans were initially vehemently opposed to voting by proxy when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi approved it. But now they are abusing the procedure, and apparently lying to invoke it.