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Top evangelicals are backing away from Donald Trump
SEMAFOR ^ | 12/05/2022 | Shelby Talcott

Posted on 12/05/2022 12:28:56 PM PST by thegagline

Call it a crisis of faith. Despite appointing the conservative judges who ultimately overturned Roe v. Wade — and fervently courting the religious right during his presidency — prominent evangelicals are beginning to shy away from supporting former President Donald Trump’s third bid for office.

A major factor is the same issue driving leaders in other parts of the conservative coalition away from his campaign: They’re not sure he can win.

“Evangelicals, conservatives and freedom-loving Americans … the common question is: Who can win in 2024?” Bob Vander Plaats, president and CEO of the Family Leader, told Semafor. “And I believe that’s Trump’s highest hurdle.”

Vander Plaats, who co-chaired Ted Cruz’s campaign in 2016, said he’d had many conversations with conservatives who “really like the former president” but want to move forward with “a vision for the future versus a complaint or critique about the past.”

Some Evangelical leaders are also tiring of the former president’s obsession with trying to somehow overturn the previous election and his ever-growing list of personal scandals and inflammatory statements.

Tony Perkins, the president of the Family Research Council who prayed with Trump in office and defended him at critical moments, suggested Trump remains too focused on the 2020 election and that evangelicals “don’t want a lot of drama” this time around. He said the former president needed to earn their vote by speaking about issues that resonated with them instead — he pointed to Trump’s frequent references to a “war on Christmas” in 2016 as an example.

Vander Plaats and Perkins aren’t the only ones with doubts about Trump 2024. American Renewal Project leader David Lane trashed the former president just last week in his bi-weekly letter to evangelical Christian pastors, according to Religion News.

Christian Zionist activist Mike Evans, who helped pull together the evangelical vote for Trump in 2016, wrote in an essay shared with The Washington Post that even though the president kept his word on issues like judges, evangelicals must stop treating him “like he was an idol” and move on.

“Donald Trump can’t save America,” Evans wrote. “He can’t even save himself. He used us to win the White House.” ***


TOPICS: News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: evangelicals; exodus; shelbytalcott; trump
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To: thegagline

Seems I’ve been hearing about evangelicals deserting Trump for at least a year. If this is even news, how significant is it if many or most left him a long time ago?

They are another group that, before I would discuss religion with them, I would want them to show me any Bible verses they don’t think are acceptable any more or that they find embarrassing. Not picking on them. I’d ask the same of most members of mainline denominations.


41 posted on 12/05/2022 12:57:45 PM PST by Cincinnatus.45-70 (What do DemocRats enjoy more than a truckload of dead babies? Unloading them with a pitchfork!)
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To: thegagline
Vander Plaats, who co-chaired Ted Cruz’s campaign in 2016...

Oh. That explains it.

42 posted on 12/05/2022 12:58:52 PM PST by sauropod (Fascists also buy Comcast cable packages" - Olby - Wanna buy mine?)
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To: thegagline

Most Evangelicals were backing Ted Cruz or Ben Carson in 2016, due to Trump’s lack of a track record, flamboyant personal life, campaign donation history and past statements of being pro-choice.

Clearly he allayed all reservations on those fronts by actual performance, but that doesn’t mean his is the persona with which they are most comfortable.

I myself am a traditionally minded Roman Catholic, not an Evangelical, but we are generally on the same side with similar priorities. Trump’s actions (not just judges, but Title X changes< for instance) shows he has earned my vote until shown otherwise.

The Evangelicals will back Trump after the primaries. They aren’t going to run to Biden or Newsom.


43 posted on 12/05/2022 12:59:45 PM PST by Dr. Sivana (What was 35% of the Rep. Party is now 85%. And it’s too late to turn back—Mac Stipanovich )
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To: Trump.Deplorable

Spilled milk? Is that what we call the total destruction of our way of life? We should just walk away and allow the left to totally destroy America?


44 posted on 12/05/2022 1:00:16 PM PST by Jim Robinson (Resistance to tyranny is obedience to God.)
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To: thegagline

They’ve been saying that since 2015 — that evangelicals won’t and don’t support Trump. Nice try.


45 posted on 12/05/2022 1:00:31 PM PST by MayflowerMadam
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To: Cincinnatus.45-70

Evangelicals are the core of the republican vote and conservatism and deliver about 85% of their vote to republicans, they are also the most Christian of America’s religious.


46 posted on 12/05/2022 1:02:07 PM PST by ansel12 (NATO warrior under Reagan, and RA under Nixon, bemoaning the pro-Russians from Vietnam to Ukraine.)
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To: thegagline

None of the Evangelicals I know.


47 posted on 12/05/2022 1:02:12 PM PST by MMusson
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To: Trump.Deplorable

There it is again “move forward”

This is the third time I have seen this perusing these forums.

Interesting.


48 posted on 12/05/2022 1:03:13 PM PST by Sarcazmo ("Sarcasm is the highest form of wit" ~ O. Wilde)
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To: thegagline
Vander Plaats, who co-chaired Ted Cruz’s campaign in 2016...
49 posted on 12/05/2022 1:03:18 PM PST by McGruff (Don't underestimate Joe's ability to f*** things up - Barack Obama)
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To: faithhopecharity

“Trump is not the ideal image for evangelicals but he advances mostly proper things”

Which is all we can expect in “the present evil age”.

God kiboshed Babel and has never rescinded the judgment against it. Satan is always the one behind any attempt to resurrect its phony “oneness”. No human government can fix the fallen sons of Adam, only the Lord Jesus Christ!


50 posted on 12/05/2022 1:06:09 PM PST by avenir (Information overload = Pattern recognition)
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To: larryleo
“This “can’t win” argument means nothing if elections are stolen. It doesn’t matter who you run. THE ELECTIONS WERE STOLEN IN 2020 AND 2022. When is our collective common sense going to override the lies from the media?”

DITTO!

51 posted on 12/05/2022 1:07:05 PM PST by Dogbert41 (Baruch Ha Ba Ba Shem Adonai!)
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To: thegagline

If we just support McConnell or Pence we’ll be saved!


52 posted on 12/05/2022 1:07:14 PM PST by Skywise
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To: JBW1949
So you believe the last elections were on the up and up???

No. So what is Trump going to do about that? Answer: tweet (or whatever they call it) on his forum? Seems to me he would be better off with critiques of the current admin and concrete plans, particularly for fighting the fraud.

53 posted on 12/05/2022 1:08:11 PM PST by palmer (Democracy Dies Six Ways from Sunday)
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To: thegagline

Elections are meaningless. The selection will be made - and it does not depend on “we the people.” Elections, so-called, will continue - but essentially they are over.


54 posted on 12/05/2022 1:08:12 PM PST by One4Life (It's all about control )
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To: thegagline

Link doesn’t go to Drudge but Drudge posted the link


55 posted on 12/05/2022 1:08:23 PM PST by libh8er
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To: thegagline

Same message from multiple (establishment) directions, “Trump can’t win”. I’m sure they’d like me to believe that with the constant messaging.

If you want to go back to “normal” with the GOPe...keep listening.


56 posted on 12/05/2022 1:09:19 PM PST by fuzzylogic (welfare state = sharing of poor moral choices among everybody)
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To: central_va

” are offended by Trumps STYLE. “

Well they are influenced by the left then because that’s why the left tells us we shouldn’t support Trump.

Its not real bright to take your enemy’s advice and counsel.

They got the ‘ol trickster himself whispering in their ears.


57 posted on 12/05/2022 1:10:11 PM PST by Sarcazmo ("Sarcasm is the highest form of wit" ~ O. Wilde)
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To: nwrep

Your brave and realistic.


58 posted on 12/05/2022 1:12:31 PM PST by napscoordinator (Trump/Hunter, jr for President/Vice President 2016 democratic )
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To: thegagline

Are these the evangelicals who live in multi-million dollar homes or just the regular, down-to-earth guys?


59 posted on 12/05/2022 1:13:08 PM PST by RoosterRedux
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To: thegagline
--- "Top evangelicals are backing away from Donald Trump"

Really! A no curiosity about this piece of "evangelical news?"

Read the bios on the about page of the website. NY Times, Bloomberg, Atlantic, Council on Foreign Relations, Buzzfeed, Politico, Viacom CBS, NBC and more "graduates" of Left-leaning news companies;

Source: https://www.semafor.com/about

When the Left tells you something about "evangelicals," they are telling you something about themselves.

Some greater care in citing those of the political Left is in order....

60 posted on 12/05/2022 1:13:15 PM PST by Worldtraveler once upon a time (Degrow government)
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