Speaking at the Value Voters Summit, President Trump has pledged to return “moral clarity to our view of the world”
The Trump Administration has been raising a lot of eyebrows the past few weeks. While many Presidents have walked a fine line, striving to be politically correct, Trump has shown no qualms when it comes to ruffling feathers. On Friday, the President hinted at the motive behind his administration’s strong stances: he is seeking to “restore moral clarity” and to end attacks on “Judeo-Christian values.”
The White House has dove into the NFL kneeling phenomena. Often, Presidential administrations try to stay away from such hot-button issues. This is all the more true when the issues are relatively minor. Now, President Trump is looking to shore up support among his Christian base. Speaking at the Values Voter Summit, President Trump said:
America is a nation of believers and together we are strengthened and sustained by the power of prayer.
The Value Voters Summit is hosted by the Family Research Council. This group is known for its strong anti-LGBT stances. The Family Research Council is one of the most powerful Christian Conservative voices. The Summit itself is frequented by powerful Republicans. However, Trump is the first sitting president to speak at the event.
Trump argued that America is “strengthened and sustained by the power of prayer.” What exactly this means remains unclear. However, the President specifically cited “Christmas” in his speech. He noted that people are now afraid to say “Merry Christmas” or to use any Christian words. If Trump has his way, however, people will “start saying Merry Christmas again. These comments, in particular, drew rapturous applause.
Trump is “undoing the anti-faith policies of the previous administration and restoring true religious freedom.”- Tony Perkins.
Value Voters weren’t initially among Trump’s more dedicated base. Back in 2015, Trump faced some resistance from Christian voters and many powerful Christian groups. While most groups didn’t shun Trump, they preferred other, more staunchly Christian candidates.
However, Trump proved more willing to more directly address the issues that concern many Christian voters. Most Presidential candidates tip-toed around issues like gay marriage and having the Ten Commandments and other religious symbols in government buildings. Trump, however, has been willing to address them head-on.
The President of the Family Research Council, Tony Perkins, lauded the Trump administration. He argued that Trump is “undoing the anti-faith policies of the previous administration and restoring true religious freedom.” At the very least, Trump’s willingness to wade into “politically incorrect” waters has bought him a lot of goodwill among more conservative voters.
While Obama was a regular attendee of Church, his administration generally pursued agnostic policies. This is in-line with the government’s general stance to neither promote nor hinder particular religions.
Many of Trump’s supporters want to see the American government abandon its neutral-agnostic stance, and to more strongly adhere to and stand up for Christian beliefs.