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Donald Trump received a standing ovation coming and going at the Values Voter Summit in Washington, D.C., on Friday.
The theme of Trump’s speech was the centrality faith must play if America is to reclaim its heritage of greatness.
Academy Award winning actor Jon Voight introduced the candidate saying, “If God allows truth to be said and heard, we will see Donald Trump as the next president of the United States of America. He will lift the dark cloud that hovers over us now.”
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“Our media culture often mocks and demeans people of faith,” Trump observed. “Your values of love, charity and faith built this nation.”
He promised, “In a Trump administration, our Christian heritage will be respected like never before. That includes religious liberty.”
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Trump stated that faith in God has “the power to heal, the power to unite, the power to make all of us live better lives.”
“Our faith in God will lead us back to unity,” he believes.
A pledge that the GOP nominee made that particularly appealed to the Values Voter crowd was to repeal the so-called Johnson Amendment, which threatens churches and religious organizations with the loss of their tax exempt status if they take positions regarding political candidates.
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Trump promised repealing the Johnson Amendment, which was passed in the 1950s, would be easy.
He joked that the repeal of the measure is “the only way I’m getting to heaven.”
Another issue that really resonated with the summit attendees was his commitment to support school choice.
“As your president, I will be the biggest cheerleader for school choice you’ve ever seen,” the candidate stated.
“School choice also means parents can home-school their children,” he said, which generated resounding applause.
Trump sees school choice as central to his new civil rights agenda, which he has proposed to help lift minorities out of poverty.
He said school choice is clearly the right thing to do, and there is one reason Hillary Clinton opposes it: “She is controlled like a puppet by special interests.”
Trump also addressed the future of the United States Supreme Court, noting that the next president will not only be replacing the late Justice Antonin Scalia’s seat, but as many as four others.
He contended if, “You pick the wrong people [for the high court] you won’t recognize your country.”
The candidate argued the stakes could not be higher: “It will determine whether we remain a constitutional republic.”
Raw video: @realDonaldTrump introduced at #VVS2016 by @jonvoight @FRCAction. #MakeAmericaGreatAgain #TrumpTrain🚂💨🇺🇸🇺🇸https://t.co/LemGveqNcb
— Daniel Scavino Jr. (@DanScavino) September 9, 2016
Trump closed reiterating that he believes the key to uniting a divided America is a renewal of faith, which recognizes that we are all God’s children, made in His image.
He stated, “Together we will make America believe again, we will make America united again, and we will make America great again.”
