Trump has a 'big void' when it comes to hanging on to evangelical support: Ana Navarro
CNN political commentator and former Republican strategist Ana Navarro argued that former President Donald Trump has a "big void" in the leadership of the evangelical community who is willing to go to bat for him in 2024 — but that the state of play is still in flux and they could ultimately come home to him.
This interview, alongside New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman, comes as the former president has openly attacked the evangelical community, which was essential to getting him elected in the first place, and as experts suspect he has a plan to crack down on and divide congregations that aren't fully in the tank for him.
"Maggie, you have new reporting on a conversation we've been talking about all week, which is Trump's campaign and evangelicals, who delivered the white house to him in 2016," said anchor Kaitlan Collins. "Now he's criticizing prominent leaders who aren't returning to endorse him."
"As 'disloyal', his favorite word," agreed Haberman. "We heard him say this all the time, and Nikki Haley was one name I asked him about when I interviewed him for my book and he talked about disloyalty. It is a risky game that he is playing. We don't know what's going to happen with the investigations into him. I want to caveat that off the bat. If there's movement, it's going to make it complicated for evangelical leaders. But right now he's the only declared candidate, and they are grateful for things he did in office, but they have other options. It was notable, [megachurch pastor] Robert Jeffress hosted Mike Pence last week. Jeffress is still sounding pro-Trump, but the fact he was willing to offer Pence an audience, I think, tells you you're seeing a shift away from Trump. Will it be enough? I don't know we've seen voters move from leaders and towards Trump before, but there's a softening."
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Navarro agreed, saying that she is "getting déjà vu all over again" because evangelical leaders also "stepped away" from Trump after the "Access Hollywood" tape in which Trump boasted he could get away with sexually assaulting women because of his fame, but they "all lined up behind him" again after he won the presidency.
"I also think you're feeling the absence of Jerry Falwell," added Navarro. "He's sitting by a pool, currently, in Miami. So I think he was 100% loyal to him. That's a big void that's been left in evangelical leadership. But, you know, I underestimated Trump and the evangelicals in 2016, and I would warn people not to do that because right now you're seeing it from other politicians. You're seeing it from donors. You're seeing it from evangelical leaders. That they are toying with the idea of somebody other than Trump. They are indicating they want somebody other than Trump. But if it is Trump, they're going to line up behind him like they once did in 2016."
Watch the segment below or at this link.
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