Republican candidate Trump tells Christians they ‘won’t have to vote after this election’

Published July 28, 2024
Former US President and 2024 Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump gestures after speaking at Turning Point Action’s “The Believers Summit” in West Palm Beach, Florida, on July 26. — AFP
Former US President and 2024 Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump gestures after speaking at Turning Point Action’s “The Believers Summit” in West Palm Beach, Florida, on July 26. — AFP

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump told Christians on Friday that if they vote for him in the upcoming US elections, “in four years, you don’t have to vote again. We’ll have it fixed so good, you’re not gonna have to vote.”

It was not clear what the former president meant by his remarks, in an election campaign where his Democratic opponents accuse him of being a threat to democracy, and after his attempt to overturn his 2020 defeat to President Joe Biden, an effort that led to the deadly insurrection at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

Trump was speaking at an event organized by the conservative group Turning Point Action in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Trump said: “Christians, get out and vote, just this time. “You won’t have to do it anymore. Four more years, you know what, it will be fixed, it will be fine, you won’t have to vote anymore, my beautiful Christians.”

He added: “I love you Christians. I’m a Christian. I love you, get out, you gotta get out and vote. In four years, you don’t have to vote again, we’ll have it fixed so good you’re not going to have to vote,” Trump said.

Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung did not directly address Trump’s remarks when asked to clarify them.

Cheung said Trump “was talking about uniting this country,” and blamed “the divisive political environment” on the attempted assassination of Trump two weeks ago. Investigators have yet to give a motive for why the 20-year-old gunman opened fire on Trump.

In an interview with Fox News in December, Trump said that if he won the November 5 election he would be a dictator, but only on “day one”, to close the southern border with Mexico and expand oil drilling.

Democrats have seized on that comment. Trump has since said the remarks were a joke.

If Trump wins a second term in the White House, he can serve only four more years as president. US presidents are limited to two terms, consecutive or not, under the US Constitution.

In May, speaking at a National Rifle Association gathering, Trump quipped about serving more than two terms as president.

He referred to the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt, a Democrat, the only president to serve more than two terms. The two-term limit was added after Roosevelt’s presidency.

“You know, FDR, 16 years — almost 16 years — he was four terms. I don’t know, are we going to be considered three-term? Or two-term?” Trump asked the NRA crowd.

Trump’s remarks on Friday pointed to the need for both parties to energize their base voters ahead of what will likely be a closely fought election. Trump has enjoyed loyal support from evangelicals in the past two elections.

The race has abruptly tightened after the decision by Biden to end his reelection bid and with his vice president, Kamala Harris, becoming the presumptive Democratic nominee.

Recent opinion polls show Trump’s significant lead over Biden has been largely erased since the torch was passed to Harris.

Jason Singer, a Harris campaign spokesperson, in a statement, did not directly address Trump’s remarks about Christians not having to vote again. Singer described Trump’s overall speech as “bizarre” and “backward-looking”.

Opinion

Editorial

Short-changed?
Updated 24 Nov, 2024

Short-changed?

As nations continue to argue, the international community must recognise that climate finance is not merely about numbers.
Overblown ‘threat’
24 Nov, 2024

Overblown ‘threat’

ON the eve of the PTI’s ‘do or die’ protest in the federal capital, there seemed to be little evidence of the...
Exclusive politics
24 Nov, 2024

Exclusive politics

THERE has been a gradual erasure of the voices of most marginalised groups from Pakistan’s mainstream political...
Counterterrorism plan
Updated 23 Nov, 2024

Counterterrorism plan

Lacunae in our counterterrorism efforts need to be plugged quickly.
Bullish stock market
23 Nov, 2024

Bullish stock market

NORMALLY, stock markets rise gradually. In recent months, however, Pakistan’s stock market has soared to one ...
Political misstep
Updated 23 Nov, 2024

Political misstep

To drag a critical ally like Saudi Arabia into unfounded conspiracies is detrimental to Pakistan’s foreign policy.