Former President Donald Trump compared his domestic political opponents to foreign enemies who fought against the United States in World War II to “extinct our way of life.”
In a fiery speech to the National Religious Broadcasters’ International Christian Media Convention in Nashville, he said the greatest threat to the United States comes from the “sick” at home and not from American adversaries abroad.
The Republican front-runner, 77, invoked the D-Day landings and one of the deadliest American battles against Nazi Germany to say that “we still need the hand of our Lord” to achieve victory today.
He was speaking at one of his last events before Saturday’s GOP presidential primary in South Carolina, where he holds a 30-point lead over rival Nikki Haley in most polls.
“1944 was the year of D-Day, the Battle of the Bulge, and our country was at war with an enemy who wanted to extinguish our way of life forever,” he told religious broadcasters.
‘But here at home, Christians knew that victory depended not only on the strength of American arms, but also on faith in American Hearts.
‘This time, the biggest threat is not coming from outside our country, I truly believe that. It is the people inside our country who are most dangerous. They are very sick people.
“To achieve victory in this fight, as in battles of the past, we still need the hand of our Lord,” he added.
Former President Donald Trump compared his domestic political opponents to foreign enemies who fought against the United States in World War II to “extinct our way of life.”
“We can handle China, we can handle Russia… but the people inside are very dangerous.”
About 19,000 American soldiers died in the Battle of the Bulge in the Ardennes Forest in Belgium in late and early 1945. Winston Churchill called the deadly offensive “undoubtedly the greatest American battle” of the war.
Trump also promised to use a second term in the White House to defend Christian values and claimed that the left wants to “tear down crosses.”
‘Remember, every communist regime throughout history has tried to eradicate the churches, just as every fascist regime has tried to co-opt and control them. And, in America, the radical left is trying to do both,” Trump told hundreds of cheering attendees at the National Religious Broadcasters International Christian Media Convention in Nashville.
“They want to tear down crosses wherever they can and cover them with social justice flags,” Trump added.
“But no one will touch the cross of Christ under the Trump administration, I swear.”
It comes as mainstream conservatives have increasingly called on Trump to openly build his second term around Christian values if he wins.
Trump is the favorite in a Republican primary in which the once-large field has been reduced to him and his former ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley.
The former president invoked the Battle of the Bulge (above), the deadliest battle for American soldiers in World War II, in the fiery speech in which he warned of the American threat from within.
‘Remember, every communist regime throughout history has tried to eradicate the churches, just as every fascist regime has tried to co-opt and control them. And, in America, the radical left is trying to do both,” Trump told hundreds of convention attendees in Nashville.
The Christian media gathering, where sponsors handed out free red and white baseball caps emblazoned with ‘Make America Pray Again,’ was extremely friendly territory for the former president, whose speech often seemed more like a rally than a serious speech. a convention.
“The left is trying to shame Christians,” Trump said. ‘They are trying to embarrass us. I’m a very proud Christian.’
Trump repeatedly brought the crowd to its feet and frequently defended his record on abortion, including his appointment of three conservative Supreme Court justices who helped overturn Roe v. Wade.
But he notably failed to mention the Alabama Supreme Court ruling that led providers there to suspend in vitro fertilization after judges ruled that frozen embryos could be considered children under state law.
President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign issued a blank statement on the matter Thursday night, ironically drawing attention to Trump’s lack of reaction to the ‘Alabama ruling on IVF for which he is responsible.’
Instead, Trump used his speech to boast that he had used his first term to do “more to defend religious freedom than any administration in history.”
“The enthusiasm for the elections that will be held in November is much greater than in 2016 or 2020,” he said. “Much better, it’s not even a contest.”
Tennessee holds its primary on Super Tuesday, March 5, when many states across the country vote and could put Trump on the cusp of claiming the Republican nomination.
Some religious leaders were initially hesitant to support the multi-divorced Trump when he first ran for president in 2016, but are now among his mostly solidly loyal “Make America Great Again” base.
That’s despite a personal history that has become more checkered in recent years, including Trump’s indictment in New York in connection with hush payments made to a porn actress in an attempt to suppress an extramarital affair.
“When it came on the scene, people were skeptical,” said Troy Miller, president and CEO of National Religion Broadcasters.
“But I think as they’ve learned more and heard Donald Trump speak, the one thing I hear all the time from people… is that they really feel like Donald Trump understands them and that’s the biggest connection that the people do. “This is a guy in politics who understands us, who doesn’t talk like he’s an elitist or belittle us.”