(Washington) Former US President Donald Trump on Saturday urged evangelicals to vote en masse in the November presidential election to help him win, promising to “fiercely” protect religious freedom if he was elected.
“Evangelicals and Christians, they don’t vote as much as they should,” said the right-wing candidate in a Washington hotel, in front of hundreds of participants at the conference of the “Faith and Freedom” coalition. Freedom).
“They go to church every Sunday but don’t vote. And we need to make sure they vote, just this once,” he said. “In four years, you don’t have to vote, okay? In four years, don’t vote, I don’t care,” he added half-heartedly, sparking laughter in the audience.
The billionaire assured evangelicals, who played an important role in his rise to power in 2016 and many of whom are very loyal to him, that he would defend their faith.
He has already allowed them to win a historic victory on abortion by appointing three conservative judges to the Supreme Court, the institution which ended up shattering the federal guarantee of abortion in 2022.
We will protect Christians in our schools, in our army, our administration, our workplaces, in our hospitals.
Donald Trump
PHOTO MANUEL BALCE CENETA, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Donald Trump
“We will also create a new federal mission on combating anti-Christian bias,” whose goal will be to investigate “discrimination” and “persecution” of Christians in the United States, he said.
The ex-president claimed that the Democratic camp of his rival, the current head of state Joe Biden, was seeking to “silence” and “demoralize” Christians.
“They don’t want you to vote, that’s why you have to vote,” Donald Trump said. “If you vote, we can’t lose.”
The crowd responded by chanting “Vote, vote, vote” and cheering for the tycoon.
Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in a televised debate next Thursday, four months before the presidential election.