Conservatives felt the sting of betrayal as the shocking news broke that Donald Trump would no longer be attending the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).

There were cheers along with disappointment. Trump had been slated to speak to the many conservative event goers Saturday morning at 8:30 a.m. Trump’s campaign released a statement midday on Friday that the GOP front-runner would campaign in Wichita, Kansas, on Saturday and then head to Florida. “Because of this, he will not be able to attend CPAC as he has done for many consecutive years,” said an email statement from the campaign.

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His decision drew ire and criticism from many within the conservative movement with CPAC tweeting: “Very disappointed @realDonaldTrump has decided at the last minute to drop out of #CPAC — his choice sends a clear message to conservatives.”

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Many of the young attendees at this year’s event, while they may not align with Trump, are very upset by his decision to skip the largest gathering of young conservatives in the country. The decision not to attend has left some to speculate as to why he would so suddenly change his plans.

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“I am extremely disappointed. He’s my top pick,” said Chelsea Woodville of Florida. “I feel a lot of people here aren’t really supporting him. That’s why he decided not to come.”

And she’s not wrong to believe that.

On Thursday night a debate watch party was held at CPAC and many attendees said that Trump was booed consistently throughout the night — especially when shots were fired by other GOP rivals Sens. Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz.

“I am kind of surprised but not really,” said Tim Schrempp of the University of Minnesota at Morris. “Last night when we were at the debate watch party, a majority of the crowd would boo him when he would speak.”

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There were also reports on Thursday from the National Review that walkouts were being organized for Trump’s speech. Trump’s unpopularity among the conservative crowd is leading many of the event goers to believe he is afraid of facing a conservative audience.

“I think it’s appalling that he would cancel, especially after last night’s debate,” said Paul Draper, a Princeton student. “I think he’s scared to come here and talk to conservative activists. As brave as he puts himself forward to be, apparently he’s not brave enough to face us,” he added.

Draper’s thoughts were echoed by many other young conservative activists. “I think it says a lot about how real conservatives don’t support Trump — I think he’s scared of facing real conservatives,” said Sofia Gallo.

“I don’t think it’s fear so much, but he’s probably aware there’s mixed feelings for him here,” said another student.

But there were a few lonely Trump supporters at CPAC who understood the billionaire businessman’s decision to cancel his appearance, even though they were looking forward to hearing from their champion.

“I’m a Trump fan, so it’s really unfortunate he’s not here. It’s the main event I want to watch,” said a college student who gave her name only as “Reagan.” “But I think the CPAC event is very openly anti-Trump, and I’m not sure how much attending would’ve helped him, so if he feels like he needs to campaign in Kansas, he should be there.”