Donald Trump has urged American Christians to support him in this year’s presidential election — a contest he depicted in religious terms and likened to the great battles of World War Two like D-Day and the Battle of the Bulge. “Today we are in another struggle for the survival of our nation. This time the greatest threat is not from outside of our country. I really believe it’s from within,” he told around 4,000 delegates at the National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) annual convention in Nashville.
He said God’s involvement was needed to rescue the country. “I am here today because I know that to achieve victory in this fight, just like in the battles of the past, we still need the hand of our Lord, and the grace of Almighty God. I’m a very proud Christian, actually. I’ve been very busy fighting and, you know, taking the bullets, taking the arrows. I’m taking them for you and I’m so honoured to take them, you have no idea.”
He claimed that during his first presidential term he had done “more to uphold religious freedom than any administration in history. “The left is trying to shame Christians. They’re trying to shame us. Christians can’t afford to sit on the sidelines in this fight. The radical left is coming after all of us because they know that our allegiance is not to them. Our allegiance is to our country and our allegiance is to our Creator.”
He promised to use a second term in the White House to defend Christian values and even suggested he’d shield the faith’s central iconography, the cross. “Remember, every communist regime throughout history has tried to stamp out the churches, just like every fascist regime has tried to co-opt them and control them. In America, the radical left is trying to do both. They want to tear down crosses where they can, and cover them up with social justice flags. But no one will be touching the cross of Christ under the Trump administration, I swear to you,” he vowed.
Mr. Trump brought the crowd to its feet repeatedly and frequently championed his record on abortion, including appointing three conservative Supreme Court justices who helped overturn the Roe v. Wade decision. “The enthusiasm for this election coming up in November is far greater than it was in 2016 or 2020. Far greater, it’s not even a contest,” he declared.
The Associated Press (AP) reports: “Some religious leaders were initially hesitant to get behind the Trump campaign when he first ran for president in 2016, but now they are among his mostly solidly loyal Make America Great Again base.” That’s despite multiple court appearances in recent months.
NRB President and CEO Troy Miller observed: “When he came onto the scene, people were sceptical. But I think as they’ve learned more and listened to Donald Trump speak, the one thing I hear all the time from people is that they really feel like Donald Trump understands them and the biggest connection that people make is: ‘This is a guy in politics who gets us, who understands us, who doesn’t talk like he’s an elitist and talk down to us.’”
AP writes that: “Trump’s comments reflect his embrace of Christian Nationalism, a belief that is powerful among conservative evangelicals who say the founders of the US intended the country to be a Christian nation. Some adherents believe the US Constitution was inspired by God and that the federal government should declare the US a Christian nation, advocate Christian values or stop enforcing the separation of church and state.”
The former president’s appearance in the Tennessee capital is no coincidence. The state is one of many holding primaries and caucuses on Super Tuesday on March 5, the biggest day of nominating contests. Mr. Trump is predicted to win every one of them. He is far ahead of his sole challenger in the Republican race, Nikki Haley, who was the US ambassador to the United Nations during his presidency.
She could drop out after next week’s primaries and clear the way for Mr. Trump to again be the Republican nominee for the presidency which pollsters are forecasting to be a much more hard-fought contest.
