WASHINGTON – Donald Trump’s campaign rivals made their various cases Friday before an influential group of religious voters, but for the most part they avoided talking about a top issue: Donald Trump.
With the exception of Chris Christie – who got booed for his criticism of Trump – other candidates in the increasingly crowded 2024 race made only passing references to the twice-indicted GOP front-runner and did not argue why they are better bets for the presidential nomination next year.
“You can boo all you want,” Christie told members of the Faith and Freedom Coalition, while candidates like Ron DeSantis and Mike Pence only alluded to their differences with Trump; they focused more on President Joe Biden and the Democrats.
“We need a new way of thinking,” DeSantis said at one point.
A pro-Trump crowd
It was probably just as well, given the pro-Trump slant of the crowd. Members of the Faith and Freedom Coalition cheered loudly when other speakers mentioned Trump’s name.
One such speaker, North Carolina Lt. Gov Mark Robinson, went so far as to endorse Trump, drawing a standing ovation.
The Faith and Freedom Coalition, which bills its Washington, D.C. conference as “the largest public policy gathering of conservative and Christian activists in the nation, also heard from 2024 Republican candidates Vivek Ramaswamy, Asa Hutchinson, Francis Suarez, and Tim Scott.
Nikki Haley and newly announced candidate Will Hurd will address the convention of religious conservatives on Saturday.
Trump, who still leads Republican polls despite two indictments and questions about his appeal to independent voters, has the group’s prime speaking slot, the “keynote address” at a Saturday dinner closing the conference.
Religious voters
Religious voters are expected to play a key role in Republican delegate contests next year, especially early ones in Iowa and South Carolina.
The Faith and Freedom Coalition is a frequent stop for Republican presidential candidates a half-year before primaries start.
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DeSantis focuses on Biden
DeSantis, who is Trump’s closest competitor in most polls but remains far behind, spent most of his time attacking Democratic President Joe Biden and Trump-era health official Anthony Fauci over allegedly anti-faith polices and COVID lockdowns.
The Florida governor did note that some opponents are “attacking me” over his legal fight with Disney, but he did not specify that Trump is his most vociferous attacker.
He also referenced the unfinished wall on the U.S.-Mexico border, but did not call out Trump by name. At the same time, like other candidates, DeSantis criticized the so-called “weaponization” of law enforcement, presumably including the cases against Trump.
Christie: ‘You can boo all you want’
The former New Jersey governor, who has made attacks on Trump the centerpiece of his campaign, drew catcalls when he attacked Trump for a lack of character, a failure of leadership, and a tendency to blame others for his failures.
“He has let us down,” Christie said.
As delegates yelled, Christie delivered his line that “you can boo all you want” and that Republicans will have to confront the character issue regarding Trump.
Trump’s troubles
As the campaign unfolds in the months to come, the former president faces two criminals trials, one in Florida and another in New York.
A federal grand jury in Florida indicted Trump for obstruction of justice in connection with the hoarding of classified documents. A state grand jury in New York charged him with falsifying business records as part of a hush money scheme.
Moreover, Trump remains under investigation in Atlanta and Washington, D.C., over attempts to reverse his election loss to President Joe Biden.
The former president has denounced all the investigations as politically motivated, an argument he is expected to make again before members of the Faith and Freedom Coalition.
Pence and abortion
The former vice president drew a distinction with Trump over the commitment to end abortion, though he did not cite him by name during that discussion. Pence instead criticized “opponents” who have said the abortion issue hurt Republican candidates in the 2022 congressional elections, a description that fits his former president.
On the other hand, Pence drew his biggest applause when he pledged to end the “politicization” of the Justice Department, an apparent reference to the Trump investigations.
In wrapping up, Pence said he has had “differences” with the former president – most famously his refusal of Trump’s demand that he try to overturn Biden’s election victory – but “elections are about the future.”
Ramaswamy: ‘identity crisis’
Ramaswamy, a private businessman, did not mention Trump during a speech that ticked off a variety of conservative goals, from better border security to parental rights in education policy.
The author of a book called “Woke, Inc.: Inside Corporate America’s Social Justice Scam” also decried a “moral vacuum” and “a national identity crisis.”
“We don’t have to be a nation in decline,” Ramaswamy said.
Asa Hutchinson’s faith
Hutchinson, the former governor of Arkansas, has called on Trump to withdraw from the race because of the indictments – but he did not mention the ex-president’s name during his speech to the Faith and Freedom Coalition.
Instead, Hutchinson discussed his religious roots and said that “my faith has always guided me in the public arena.”
“The purpose of the conference is to empower conservative activists to fight for their values at the polls,” the organization said in statements announcing its various speakers.
Tim Scott and ‘The View’
The only Black Republican in the Senate, Scott spent most of his time talking about his jousts over opportunities for minorities with members of the Biden and hosts of The View television show.
While also complaining about the “weaponization” of federal law enforcement, Scott did not mention Trump by name.
Francis Suarez
Suarez, the mayor of Miami and one of the newer entrants in the race, echoed other candidates by praising the Supreme Court’s decision a year ago to reverse the Roe vs. Wade ruling on abortion rights.
While mentioning tax cuts and education policy, Suarez kept the focus on faith issues. The mayor said that “our values” are under political assault, but “our faith is strong.”
