Trump paints 2024 campaign as ‘righteous crusade’ as he rallies evangelicals

Former President Trump during a speech on Saturday depicted the U.S. as a “beloved nation” that is “teetering on the edge of tyranny” and painted his 2024 presidential campaign as a “righteous crusade.”

“For seven years, you and I have been fighting side-by-side to rescue our country from evil and from the sinister forces who hate it,” Trump said during the Faith & Freedom Coalition’s Road to the Majority Police Conference. “I believe they hate it, and I believe they actually want to destroy it.”

“Together, we’re warriors in a righteous crusade to stop the arsonists, the atheists, globalists and the Marxists — and that’s what they are — and we will restore our Republic as one nation under God with liberty and justice for all” he added later.

The former president used his speech to defend his handling of classified documents that were found at his Mar-a-Lago club last year, alluding to a federal indictment he received several weeks ago that alleges he purposely sought to stop federal officials from obtaining the documents.

Trump has pleaded not guilty to all 37 charges pertaining to that indictment. 

In his speech, he incorrectly claimed that a president “has the absolute right to take them, he has the absolute right to keep them or he can give them back to [National Archives and Records Administration] if he wants and talks to them like we were doing and he can do that if he wants.” 

But the former president also used the indictment to rally his base, at one point saying, “Every time the radical left Democrats, Marxists, communists and fascists indict me, I consider it a great badge of courage” that gave way to cheers.

When Trump later noted that his indictments and the fact that his poll numbers had increased, the audience offered loud cheers again.

The former president also used the event to tout the overturning of Roe v. Wade, with Saturday marking the one-year anniversary since the Supreme Court handed down its ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which returned abortion access decisions to the states.

Though Trump suggested “there of course remains a vital role for the federal government in protecting unborn life,” he offered little insight into a possible framework on a national abortion ban. Former Vice President yesterday had urged every 2024 GOP candidate to agree to a national limit of around 15 weeks. 

The three-day event showcased a largely pro-Trump crowd and offered attendees the first time seeing all of the major contenders running for the Republican presidential nomination at one event. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) delivered remarks on Friday and was greeted by a large crowd after he finished.

The audience loudly cheered when North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson (R), running for governor in the state, announced on Friday that he was backing Trump — underscoring a largely loyal Trump audience. 

Meanwhile, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie faced boos at one point in his speech when he criticized the former president. 

“You can boo all you want,” Christie responded.

Former Rep. Will Hurd (R-Texas), also running for the Republican nomination and a Trump critic, notably did not target the former president in his speech.