Long before George Simion began attending gatherings organized by American conservatives (CPAC) and building an image as a politician close to the Republican circles surrounding Donald Trump, another Romanian politician had already gained access to these networks.
Eugen Tomac, now designated Prime Minister by President Nicușor Dan, had been attending meetings of American conservatives as early as 2018, at the invitation of the leadership of the American Conservative Union (ACU), the organization that coordinates CPAC, the most influential conference of the American right.
In March 2026, Tomac attended an event held at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, organized as part of celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of American independence.
Eugen Tomac is perhaps the longest-serving Romanian politician who managed to enter the MAGA (Make America Great Again) circles surrounding Donald Trump and maintain those relationships over time.
Years before George Simion established connections within Republican circles, Tomac was already attending MAGA-related events such as CPAC.
In simple terms, CPAC is for the American right what a national congress is for a political party: the place where leaders, donors, activists and future candidates gather to gain access to meetings with Donald Trump, business opportunities, lobbying contacts and investment networks in the United States.
In recent years, George Simion and AUR have sought to associate their image with the MAGA movement and conservative leaders in the United States by attending CPAC events and Republican gatherings.
However, the first Romanian politician to establish a lasting presence within these structures—and to remain connected to them—was Eugen Tomac.
Attending CPAC 2018 at the Invitation of a Conservative Leader Connected to Jason Miller
In February 2018, Eugen Tomac, then Executive President of the People’s Movement Party (PMP) and leader of the party’s parliamentary group in the Chamber of Deputies, traveled to Washington to attend the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), widely regarded as the premier political forum of the American conservative movement.
His participation was not accidental.
Tomac was invited by Matt Schlapp, Chairman of the American Conservative Union, the organization behind CPAC and one of the most influential conservative institutions in the United States.
Schlapp is known to be close to Jason Miller, the Republican strategist who is currently being paid by Romania’s Presidential Administration to carry out lobbying and strategic consulting activities in Washington on behalf of Romania.
The Romanian delegation attending CPAC in 2018 also included:
- PMP Senator Vasile Cristian Lungu;
- Sorin Ionel Roiban, coordinator of Romanian GOP (Romanian Republicans), one of the Republican organizations within the Romanian-American community.
Roiban later served as an adviser to Romanian Prime Minister Ludovic Orban between 2020 and 2021.
At the 2018 CPAC conference, Donald Trump delivered one of the most important speeches of his presidency.
What Tomac Said About Conservatism Back in 2018
According to Eugen Tomac, the conference represented:
“the birthplace of modern conservatism,”
a place where conservative activists from across America meet political leaders from Washington and representatives of the presidential administration.
Following the event, Tomac stated:
“I have participated in numerous meetings at all levels of the American Republican Party and I believe Romania needs as many friends as possible within the Trump Administration. American conservatives are open, direct and pragmatic in their relationships with partners from different parts of the world. I have built strong ties within this political community and I hope our efforts will bring benefits back home.”
Tomac attended CPAC conferences beginning in 2018. Donald Trump himself was present at both the 2018 and 2019 editions.
Tomac returned to the annual CPAC conference the following year as well.
George Simion, by contrast, only began approaching these conservative networks in Europe around 2021. His first participation at the annual CPAC conference in the United States came in 2023.
Connections With Romanian-American Republicans
Eugen Tomac’s access to these circles was not built through direct personal relationships with American conservative leaders.
Instead, it emerged through connections with members of the Romanian-American community who were already active within Republican organizations and conservative networks in the United States.
Over the years, Tomac worked closely with prominent Romanian-American conservatives, including Sorin Ionel Roiban and Claudio Pater.
Roiban is one of the best-known figures among Romanian-American Republicans. For years he has led GOP-affiliated organizations within the Romanian community and has been involved in Donald Trump’s electoral campaigns.
Claudio Pater heads the Romanian Republicans GOP Club, an organization that promotes relations between the Romanian community and the Republican Party and regularly organizes events within American conservative circles.
Through these organizations, Tomac strengthened his ties with conservative American networks and with political actors operating around the Republican Party.
The Mar-a-Lago Photograph With Donald Trump
The most recent proof that these relationships remain active emerged in March 2026.
At that time, Eugen Tomac attended an event at Mar-a-Lago, Donald Trump’s Florida residence. The gathering marked the upcoming 250th anniversary of American independence and brought together Republican Party representatives, conservative community leaders and guests from several countries.
Tomac later published photographs from the event, including images showing him alongside Donald Trump.
In March, Eugen Tomac attended a Republican event in Florida where Donald Trump was the featured guest.
Simion Followed Tomac’s Path
After 2020, as AUR rose in popularity and PMP declined, George Simion began following a similar path.
Simion’s presence at CPAC and other American conservative events has been heavily publicized in recent years and presented as evidence of AUR’s proximity to the MAGA movement.
In this respect, both politicians followed remarkably similar strategies.
Both gained access to MAGA-related structures through the Romanian-American community in the United States, and both have shown a longstanding interest in the rights of Romanian communities living in neighboring countries.
