Former President Donald Trump said Thursday during a speech in Tennessee that it is "crazy" how Christians or individuals who consider themselves to be religious could vote for a Democrat.
"How any Christian can vote for a Democrat, Christian or person of faith, how you can vote for a Democrat is crazy. It’s crazy," Trump told attendees at the National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) International Christian Media Convention in Nashville.
Trump's comment to the crowd came shortly after he claimed President Biden, his likely challenger in the November presidential election, is an "incompetent president who doesn't know what the hell he's doing" and "will not lead us to the promise land."
During his speech, Trump lamented the indictments that had been waged against him in recent history and vowed to defend Christians from attacks by those on the "radical left" who are "coming after" those who are religious.
"The chains are already tightening around all of us if you think about it. Ultimately, the radical left is coming after all of us, because they know that our allegiance is not to them." Trump said. "Our allegiance is to our country and our allegiance is to our creator. They don't want to hear that."
Trump also said he believes that those who have targeted religion in recent years aim "to tear down crosses where they can, and cover them up with social justice flags."
"But no one will be touching the cross of Christ under the Trump administration, I swear to you," he said.
Trump also told those in attendance that he believes the "greatest threat" to Americans is "from within."
"It's the people from within our country that are more dangerous than the people outside," he said. "We can handle China, we can handle Russia, we can handle all of them if you've got a smart leader, but the inside people are very dangerous, they're very sick people in my opinion."
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Trump’s comments reflect his embrace of Christian nationalism, a belief that is powerful among conservative evangelicals who say the founders of the U.S. intended the country to be a Christian nation. Some adherents believe the U.S. Constitution was inspired by God and that the federal government should declare the U.S. a Christian nation, advocate Christian values or stop enforcing the separation of church and state.
Trump is favored in a Republican primary where the once crowded field has dwindled to just him and his former ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley. Sponsors at the Christian media gathering distributed free red and white baseball caps emblazoned with the phrase "Make America Pray Again," shedding light on an exceedingly friendly space for the former president.
Trump brought the crowd to its feet repeatedly and frequently championed his record on abortion, including appointing three Supreme Court justices who helped overturn the Roe v. Wade decision.
Some religious leaders were initially hesitant to get behind Trump when he first ran for president in 2016, but now many of them are among his mostly solidly loyal "Make America Great Again" base.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
