President Donald Trump warns in a secretly-recorded closed-door meeting with evangelical leaders that there would be ‘violence’ if his party loses in the November elections.
Trump made the remarks in a closed meeting with religious leaders, whom he entertained for a White House dinner along with First Lady Melania Trump on Monday.
‘You’re one election away from losing everything that you’ve got,’ Trump told them, according to excerpts obtained by NBC News.
Trump warned there were ‘violent people’ who would undue gains, which he listed during the meeting, ‘violently.’
Trump warned Christian leaders there were ‘violent people’ who would undue gains if Republicans lose in November
‘They will overturn everything that we’ve done and they’ll do it quickly and violently, and violently. There’s violence,’ according to the excerpts the network obtained.
‘When you look at Antifa and you look at some of these groups — these are violent people,’ Trump said, pointing to violent protesters who have sought confrontations and engaged in vandalism to counter far-right groups.
Trump told more than 100 Christian leaders the election – where Democrats hold an edge in the generic ballot according to opinion polls – was a referendum ‘on your religion.’
‘The level of hatred, the level of anger is unbelievable,’ the president said.
Trump issued the stern political warning at the White House, following an event honoring Evangelical leadership in the State Dining Room of the White House
PRAYING FOR VICTORY: President Donald Trump bows his head as Pastor Paula White reads a prayer at an event honoring Evangelical leadership
‘Part of it is because of some of the things I’ve done for you and for me and for my family, but I’ve done them. … This Nov. 6 election is very much a referendum on not only me, it’s a referendum on your religion, it’s a referendum on free speech and the First Amendment.’
He didn’t specify what he meant he had done for his own family.
The closed meeting happened after Trump held a public meeting with evangelical leaders.
Police clash with demonstrators as they try to clear ‘Antifa’ members and anti-Trump protesters from the area during a protest on June 4, 2017 in Portland, Oregon
President Donald Trump, right, applauds as pastor Robert Jeffress waves during the “Celebrate Freedom” event at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Saturday, July 1, 2017. Jeffress has praised Trump’s policies, but said recently his group does not support extramarital affairs or hush payments
‘I just ask you to go out and make sure all of your people vote,’ Trump added, the New York Times reported, once again amping up the pressure.
‘Because if they don’t — it’s Nov. 6 — if they don’t vote we’re going to have a miserable two years and we’re going to have, frankly, a very hard period of time because then it just gets to be one election — you’re one election away from losing everything you’ve got.’
Trump also characterized himself as having gotten ‘rid of’ the Johnson Amendment, a priority for religious conservatives because it limits political action from the pulpit. In fact, he has issued only an executive order and it remains the law of the land.
Trump acknowledged pro-Trump Southern Baptist preacher Robert Jeffress in the crowd.
‘I had the great Robert Jeffress back there. Hello, Robert. Who said about me: He may not be the perfect human being, but he is the greatest leader for Christianity,’ Trump said.
Trump warned there were ‘violent people’ who would undue gains, which he listed during the meeting, ‘violently.’
‘Hopefully I’ve proven that to be a fact in terms of the second part. Not the first part,’ Trump said.
Jeffress on Fox News Monday night backed Trump’s policies –though he said his group doesn’t support ‘extramarital affairs.’
‘We have to understand these are still allegations against the president, so I’m not going to judge the president on these things. But even if they were true, some of these allegations, I mean, obviously, we don’t support extramarital affairs, we don’t support hush money payments, but what we do support are these president’s excellent policies,’ he told the network.
In yet another leaked excerpt on CNN, Trump warned: ”It’s not a question of like or dislike, it’s a question that they will overturn everything that we’ve done and they will do it quickly and violently. And violently. There is violence.’
‘The level of hatred, the level of anger is very unbelievable,’ Trump said.