Former President Donald Trump expressed on Monday that the United States “needs religion,” stating it serves as “the glue that holds” the nation together.
Trump made these remarks during a conversation with preacher Paula White at the National Faith Summit held in Atlanta, Georgia. He argued that the issues currently affecting the country are linked to the waning influence of religion in the U.S. over the last 25 to 50 years.
“If you take a look at the anger, the problems that we have, and a lot of it is that it’s less based on religion now than it was 25 years ago and 50 years ago,” he explained to White. “I mean, we were a really, people would say, a Christian and really religious — even other faiths — country.”
“And that seems to be heading in the wrong direction. And I think as that goes down, I think that our country goes down. I really do,” he continued. “I think this is a country that needs religion. It’s like the glue that holds it together, and we don’t … have that.”
Trump asserted that religious people are “the most important people, and I’m not sure you even realize it.”
“They’re trying to hurt you. They’re trying to stymie you, this new administration, this new radical left group of people, and it’s not so new. It’s been around for a while,” Trump commented. “And they are people that are not nice people.”
He then addressed Catholics directly, claiming that they are being “persecuted” by the radical left.
“When you see what’s going on with the FBI and the Catholic Church, I say, ‘What is happening.’ And you know, the expression is that you’re next because … everybody’s next with this group,” Trump remarked.
Notably, an FBI memo leaked from the Richmond, Virginia, field office in 2023 indicated an increasing “interest” in “radical-traditionalist Catholic” beliefs among violent extremists.
Trump also shared insights about his religious upbringing, reflecting on how his faith developed during his youth.
As he campaigns, Trump is positioning himself as a candidate representing religious interests, successfully bringing together Christians, Jews, and Muslims in an unprecedented way.
A significant example of this shift can be observed in traditionally Democrat-leaning Wayne County, Michigan, where communities with substantial Arab and Muslim populations have begun to move towards the GOP amid growing discontent with the Biden-Harris administration over the Middle East conflict.
Last week, an Islamic leader from Dearborn, Michigan, told reporters that Trump’s values resonate more closely with the Torah and, lehavdil, the Quran compared to Harris. “So the reason I lean towards Mr. Trump because I found him closer to the Bible, and Torah, and the Quran because I support peace, no war,” Imam Husham Al-Husainy stated. “We should stop the war, whether in Europe or in Middle East. And I believe in justice evenly between all the children of Ibrahim.”
{Matzav.com}