I will be making a big speech tomorrow to discuss the failed policies and bad judgment of Crooked Hillary Clinton.— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 21, 2016
Posted on 06/21/2016 5:33:20 AM PDT by nikos1121
Donald Trump will meet behind closed doors on Tuesday with hundreds of the nation’s most prominent Christian conservatives — megachurch pastors, religious media personalities, theological writers, heads of social conservative organizations and more.
Many of these Christian leaders supported other candidates, including Ted Cruz, Ben Carson and Carly Fiorina in the primary season. Some have criticized the presumptive Republican nominee for his rhetoric about race and about women, his lack of an anti-abortion history and even his ownership of casinos.
What would Trump have to say to earn their support on Tuesday? Several people who will be attending the meeting weighed in.
“He would have to win my vote. He would have to earn my vote. There’s not one thing. It’s a full spectrum,” said Jerry Johnson, the president of National Religious Broadcasters. “The sanctity of human life is important. Religious liberty is important. The marriage issue is important. The terrorism issue is important. And understanding the separation of powers in the Constitution is important.”
Bishop Harry Jackson, pastor at Maryland’s Hope Christian Church, said he wants to ask Trump at Tuesday’s meeting about three topics he believes are important to his fellow black Christians: economic development plans for inner cities, criminal justice reform and education. “I don’t think that he has burned too many bridges” to earn black Christians’ votes, Jackson said. “I don’t think it’s too late at all, but we know there are going to need to be some specifics put on the table.”
“To be fair, Trump is a New Yorker,” said Eric Metaxas, an author and radio host. “He is not exactly in touch with Bible Belt values and shibboleths. I think it’s important for him to know, if he wants to be elected, he has to take seriously that constituency, people who are social conservatives. … My guess is most people in the room [at the meeting with evangelical leaders] are open to supporting him, even if they have huge issues with him.”
Metaxas, who said at this point he plans to vote for Trump, said he wants to hear Trump defend religious liberty, including the right to oppose same-sex marriage. But more than policy positions, he wants to get a glimpse of Trump’s soul.
“I would say that what most people in America are looking for from Trump, and certainly what most Christians are looking for, is something that he may be incapable of — but it’s some level of introspection and self knowledge; that he would be aware of how he comes across,” Metaxas said. “That would put a lot of people at ease, if he would be capable of a few sentences of introspection. That would go a long way. Speaking as a Christian, I know that I’m a broken sinner who makes mistakes, who hurts people’s feelings and needs to apologize. When he famously said that he doesn’t have much to be forgiven for, something like that just revealed that he doesn’t think about himself the way a lot of people think about themselves. Especially Christians, who try actively to examine their souls.”
Penny Nance, the president of Concerned Women for America, said that Trump has her vote, as an individual. But her organization hasn’t decided whether to relaunch the massive effort to get conservative voters to the polls that it ran on Mitt Romney’s behalf in 2012. And she thinks many at Tuesday’s meeting are in the same boat, wondering how hard their organizations should work to bolster Trump.
Trump’s job on Tuesday, she said, will be to reassure them “if they put all this effort and time and money and blood, sweat and tears and credibility on the line, that they’re not embarrassed.”
She has a lot of questions for Trump. One issue she wants to hear more about: Israel. “Evangelicals are very supportive of the nation of Israel. We believe there’s Biblical emphasis on that, but we also believe that it’s important geopolitically. Some of what he said needs to be clarified a bit. … I won’t take a position? I’ll stay neutral? … There’s no moral equivalency between the nation of Israel and its need to survive, and many other Arab nations who want to destroy her.”
Another big topic: “Who the vice presidential pick is, I think that’s going to be important to us. If it’s someone who’s not a social conservative, I think that’s a brush-off.”
And then there are those who won’t support Trump no matter what he says. Princeton professor Robert P. George, who formerly chaired the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, said he received an invitation to the meeting, and sent this note in response:
I respectfully decline. I have been a severe critic of Mr. Trump and there is nothing he could say at a meeting in which he is courting conservatives that would alter my low opinion of him. I trust that I do not need to go into detail about the words and actions that have caused me to form that opinion. Perhaps the only politician in America of whom I have an even lower opinion is Hillary Clinton, so I certainly understand why some are urging us to hold our noses and support for Mr. Trump. But I fear that he will, in the end, bring disgrace upon those individuals and organizations who publicly embrace him. For those of us who believe in limited government, the Rule of Law, flourishing institutions of civil society, and traditional Judeo-Christian moral principles, and who believe that our leaders must be persons of integrity and good character, this election is presenting a horrible choice. May God help us.
She’ll probably say that’s what Bernie wants (she wants too, but being the liar she is, won’t admit it right now).
OMG you said it SOOOO much better than I did ........you have been watching WAAAAY to much Hildabeast!!!!!
I will be making a big speech tomorrow to discuss the failed policies and bad judgment of Crooked Hillary Clinton.— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 21, 2016
You’ve got mail :)
I sincerely hope he starts and doesn’t stop and doesn’t pull punches. That he lays it out, and keeps it up until she will be inundated during a press conference about it.
LOL - you said it just fine! I watch as little of Hitlery as I can - just hear a few soundbites here and there when I’m in the other room on the computer and too lazy to get up and grab the remote. Basically, these are just the Dim talking points for at least the last election or 2, so it’s not hard to guess what they’re going to say :-)
He owns the airway tonight with his sarogates from the evangelical community and any gain HELLary might get by her prepared speach of today will be wiped out by DT s targeted speech today
Thank you for encouraging us all to pray for Donald Trump. Our prayers will be the keys to his Victory!
I’m praying for you too little mama. Get well soon ;0)
I agree Nikos - there is certainly enough out there on her. Stephen Miller has read from and/or mentioned the book, Clinton Cash in the past few rallies. While I believe it’s not out until next week, the campaign obviously has a copy. From what I’ve heard, there is a TON in there alone.
I doubt that she’ll do a presser (hasn’t done very many) and if she does she won’t answer any questions truthfully or at all - it will all be Trump this, Trump that, blah, blah. Plus, even if she had a presser, would the LSM even ask her pertinent questions? She’ll probably go on Lil’ Georgie’s show on Sunday on ABC - she’ll have the questions in advance and have the answers teed up (not sure if George S is still on the Clinton payroll or not, but he might as well be).
Who amongst us is going to watch Hildabeast and keep us informed I just CAN’T bare it sorry!!!! Looks like all channels will break for her give away speech bringing ALL of the middle class into the 21st century .......which means broker than we are already!!!! I will switch to OANN they NEVER carry Hillary!!!!
Thank you for all your prayers Amen to them!
We must TRUST and OBEY!
I can’t do it (my ears and brain and BP can’t take it) - she just came on Fox Biz (big US flag behind her) - I’m switching.
Heard earlier that she was going to trash Trump during her speech (he’s reckless, blah, blah, blah).
Soho is very artsy.
I think that’s probably right HM - at least on Hannity and Lou Dobbs, can’t say for the alphabet channels, CNN and MSNBC as I don’t watch those and I think they’ll probably cover Hillary’s “wonderful, insightful” (their probable words, not mine) speech more than Trump. That said, not sure how many people watch those channels regularly and, hopefully, with Trump’s outreach to the 900 Christians, he’ll reach a TON more people/voters through their churches and organizations and media.
As an aside, but related, saw this earlier:
TV News Feasts on Trump Controversies While Ignoring Hillary’s Scandals
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3442171/posts
OANN is carrying her also I switch to some murder mystery on ID!!!!
That’s what I remember hearing about Soho - thanks for confirming.
Trump is on Dobbs tonight!!!
I don’t get OANN - switched to WGN America (just have it on in the background and not really paying attention) - an old episode of In the Heat of the Night is on. Blue Bloods should be on later, but I need to get some stuff done if I can get a hold of my nephew.
Woo Hoo! That should be great - Dobbs has been trashing Ryan (deservedly so) and has been a supporter of Trump.
If you missed it, Corey was on Fox and Friends this morning then Trump called in about an hour later. This doesn’t show the entire Corey interview, but does show the Trump one. Corey said that he will continue to support Trump internally or externally and is head of the NH delegates.
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