In a phone interview with “Flashpoint” host Gene Bailey, Donald Trump recalled his approach to religious communities during his presidential term. “Nobody has done more for Christianity or for evangelicals — or for religion itself — than I have, [doing] so many different things,” he said (per Newsweek).
Trump boasted in the interview that he got “rid of” the Johnson Amendment and described it as a “very bad thing,” which was “very costly.” (According to NPR, the amendment “regulates what tax-exempt organizations such as churches can do in the political arena.”) Per Newsweek, Trump claimed he doesn’t get as much credit for his work with America’s Jewish communities as he gets for evangelical communities. But he doesn’t complain, as he believes that “Israel’s a very important element,” and that he’s “very happy to do it.” According to the outlet, Trump also took a jab at Joe Biden’s administration, saying they “cheated very much” on their idea of organized religion and Christianity. “I said that Biden was going to be bad; he’s turned out to be far worse than anybody ever thought,” he said
Trump’s latest statement around religion may show that he is trying hard to woo back voters, especially evangelical Christians, since as Newsweek noted, they turned up to support him in the 2016 race. However, it remains to be seen how his statements affect his road to a potential 2024 presidential race.