Donald Trump took his campaign to America’s Christian broadcasters last night, asking them to protect America from political opponents he described as dangerous, bad, sick people, most of them communists, Marxists and fascists.
“You cannot let people vote for these people,” he told attendees at the National Religious Broadcasters International Christian Media Convention Feb. 22 in Nashville. “You cannot let people vote for the Democrats.”
“If we’re going to save this country, it will be thanks to men and women like you,” he said.
Trump painted a dark picture of America overrun by internal enemies who pose a greater threat than external enemies such as Russia and China.
“We can handle them,” he said. “The greatest threat is the people within our country that are more dangerous than the outsiders.”
“They want to tear down crosses where they can, and cover them up with social justice flags.”
“They want to tear down crosses where they can, and cover them up with social justice flags,” he warned. “They’re very sick people.”
“There’s nothing more important than to defeat this wicked system,” he said.
Kevin Roberts, CEO of the Heritage Foundation, preceded Trump with a divisive and incendiary 25-minute speech that condemned people who offer moral critiques of Trump.
Heritage is not an NRB member but its affiliate, Heritage Action, was among the sponsors for Trump’s speech. Heritage leads an effort called Project 2025 that would expand presidential power under Trump and place hand-picked ultra-conservatives throughout the government.
“Those who tell us Donald Trump is beyond the pale not only tolerate but celebrate abortion, racism, antisemitism, mental illness, and the grooming, and castration, and mutilation of children,” Roberts said. He also charged that Trump’s opponents promote “throuple marriage,” a union with three people.
“These are people who hate our religion, who hate our freedom to practice it, and who hate our right to raise our children in our faith,” Roberts said. “We will prevail and take back this country.”
Even the evening’s Southern Gospel quartet, Ernie Haase and Signature Sound, urged listeners to marry piety with politics, singing:
We are the church
Let’s reassert our claim
To the power that is ours.
Trump described himself as a “very proud Christian” and “strong believer,” but one who doesn’t know much about the Bible.
He used his speech to settle scores, telling his enthusiastic audience that the 2020 election was “rigged” and a “scam,” urging sympathy for “hostages” and “political prisoners” who have been imprisoned for their roles in the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, and claiming the 91 federal indictments and other legal problems he faces are all a “scam” and a “big hoax.”
I’ve been indicted more than Al Capone … for nothing.”
“I’m so honored to be taking bullets for you,” he said. “I’m being indicted for you, as I say. I’ve been indicted more than Al Capone … for nothing.”
Trump promised he would look out for his audience’s concerns if elected to a second term as president and “protect God in the public square.”
“The first time I fought harder for Christians than any president has ever done before, and I will fight even harder for Christians” in a second term, he said.
He reiterated his promise to “appoint a task force to fight anti-Christian bias, including federal prosecutions.”
Trump said his flight to Nashville had been delayed by weather, forcing Ernie Haase & Signature Sound to extend their set of music. But the deeper they went into their repertoire, their hopeful, inspiring songs seemed ill-fitted to the current mood of grievance among white evangelicals.
Their song “Happy People” portrayed believers as joyful and loving.
God’s people are happy people
Happy all of the time
Joy higher than the tallest steeple
Love of the unstoppable kind
