Donald Trump sought to cement his support among conservative evangelicals, one of the Republican Party’s most reliable bloc of voters, at a Christian forum on Friday.
“This is my third time here,” Trump noted as he took the stage at the Road to Majority conference in Washington, D.C. “The first time was OK. The second time was great, and now we have to top it.”
“I’ll be here as often as I can because I’m with you one hundred percent,” he said. “The bottom line is I will be working for you. I’m doing this because I want to give back to our country.”
The billionaire’s appearance at the annual event marked the end of a tough week for his campaign.
Less than 24 hours before his arrival in the nation’s capital, a tweeting Trump was firing off insults against President Obama for endorsing Hillary Clinton to succeed him in the White House. On Tuesday night, Trump was forced to do damage control with a subdued and scripted speech after drawing the ire of several Republican leaders for his attacks against a federal judge’s Mexican heritage.
But on Friday, Trump focused on assuring conference attendees he would defend religious freedom and adhere to a pro-life agenda if elected president. After an informal introduction, he turned to prepared remarks and read a series of “goals” he had put together the night before.
“We want to uphold the sanctity and dignity of life,” he said, adding that “marriage and family are the building block[s] of happiness and success.”
“More important than the money,” Trump noted, with a smirk.
“Religious freedom — the right of people of faith to freely practice their faith — so important,” he said.
Trump thanked members of the audience for carrying him to the top of the ticket with their unexpected, yet overwhelming support.
“As was proven during the primary season, voters of faith are not a monolithic voting bloc and Mr. Trump appeals to a wide swath of voters including evangelicals…,” Faith and Freedom Coalition executive director Tim Head said before Trump’s remarks.
Indeed, 34 percent of born-again Christians cast their ballots for Trump in the South Carolina’s February primary despite months of speculation that Texas Sen. Ted Cruz would be the candidate powered by evangelical support. In March, Trump secured a victory in Tennessee, where 67 percent of Republican voters simultaneously identify as evangelical.
However, Trump has since fumbled on issues that could give socially conservative Christians, the very voters gathered in the crowd on Friday, pause as they decide whether to stick by him in the general election.
He left them exasperated in late March after suggestion there should be “some form of punishment” for women who receive abortions. He said transgender icon Caitlyn Jenner, formerly Bruce Jenner, could use whichever bathroom she preferred if she happened to venture into his gilded Manhattan skyscraper. And he’s continued to level incendiary attacks against his opponents and detractors, calling Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren “Pocahontas,” South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham “beyond rehabilitation,” and Clinton “heartless.”
But Faith and Freedom Coalition Chairman Ralph Reed said evangelicals like himself don’t expect Trump to be on his best behavior 365 days a year, nor would they decline to support him because he’s had a missteps here and there.
“We’re not looking for a political messiah because we already have a messiah,” he said.
Trump’s speech Friday at the Road to Majority conference was just the beginning of his general election outreach to evangelical voters. The candidate is expected to host a closed-door meeting with nearly 900 religious leaders at Trump Tower on June 21.
