At event, Trump asks Christians to vote and speaks briefly about abortion

Donald Trump urged religious supporters to go to the polls in a speech to conservative Christian activists on Saturday, but only briefly mentioned the politically sensitive issue of abortion, a topic of central importance to the group.

Speaking at an event hosted by the Faith and Freedom Coalition in Washington, the former president reiterated his position that abortion restrictions should be decided by voters in each state.

This position contradicts the views of most conservative Christians, and Trump’s reluctance to defend or even discuss additional federal regulations shows how sensitive the issue has become for Republicans.

Trump has repeatedly said that Republicans risk electoral defeat if they take too strict a line on abortion rights.

The party’s underwhelming performance in the 2022 midterm elections was largely attributed to the Supreme Court ruling that year, which removed most constitutional protections for the procedure.

Trump’s comments on abortion appeared to receive a lukewarm reception. Some in the audience started shouting “no dead babies!” while he discussed the topic. “If radical extremist Democrats get their way, they will have a federal abortion law, ripping the baby out of the womb in the seventh, eighth and ninth months and even executing the baby after birth,” the Republican said.

However, there was no indication that the strongly pro-Trump audience would support another candidate as the Nov. 5 general election rematch against Democratic President Joe Biden approaches.

Trump received loud applause as he discussed several other proposals, including eliminating the Department of Education, a move supported by many conservative Christians who accuse the federal government of attacking faith-based teaching methods.

At several points during his speech, Trump urged Christians to go to the polls in November, prompting chants of “Vote!” of the audience. “Evangelicals and Christians go to church every Sunday, but they don’t vote,” said the former president. “We have to make sure they vote just this once,” he added.

Trump claimed credit for nominating three conservative justices to the Supreme Court who helped overturn Roe v. Wade. Wade two years ago, eliminating the national right to abortion in a moment of triumph for conservatives.

However, Trump has repeatedly stated that he would not support a federal ban on abortion, preferring to leave the matter up to each of the 50 states.