There are two things that Donald Trump said on Friday night in an appearance before the religious conservatives in Turning Point Action that should cause quite a bit of controversy. Speaking in West Palm Beach near his Mar-a-Lago residence, Trump made huge waves by saying that if he’s elected, his supporters will never need to vote again.
“Christians, get out and vote. Just this time. You won’t have to do it anymore, you know what? Four more years, it’ll be fixed, it’ll be fine, you won’t have to vote anymore, my beautiful Christians.”
That’s a very odd thing to say, and it’s being interpreted as a promise that he’ll establish a dictatorship. That impression is bolstered by what he said next, but there’s a huge problem with the New York Times’ quote. They have him saying “I love you, Christians. I’m a Christian. I love you, you got to 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.”
But I have watched the video dozens of times, and it is as clear as day to me that he actually says “I’m NOT Christian.”
Maybe he misspoke, but no matter how many times I play the clip I do not hear him say “I am a Christian.” And do you know who agrees with me? Whoever did the subtitles for the Wall Street Journal‘s clip:
So, why does the New York Times’ quote say the exact opposite? I mean it’s newsworthy that Trump just declared that he’s not a Christian, is it not? That might be relevant to a lot of voters.
I agree that the rest of his remarks are a bigger story, but this shouldn’t get lost among the weeds.
