Former President Trump ignited a major gathering of conservative and religious voters on Saturday, just days before what is expected to be an epic head-to-head battle with President Biden in the first presidential debate of 2024.
A diverse crowd of more than a thousand attendees at the Faith and Freedom Coalition's annual Path to Majority conference packed into the Washington Hilton ballroom to listen to the former president, who spared no time mentioning the pending clash.
“No one's going to be watching the debate on Thursday night, right?” Trump said, drawing laughter from the crowd.
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He dedicated part of his opening remarks to asking Christians to get out and vote in November. “Christians don't vote much. It's not necessary to vote in four years, but this time,” he jokes.
Trump spoke on a number of issues important to voters of faith, including late-term abortion and his administration's move of the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
“Never again will the federal government be used to attack Americans of faith,” Trump said, referencing the crackdown on gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic.
He also lamented that religion is “becoming less and less important” across the country, citing its decline as one of the reasons the country faces crime and other problems.
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Ralph Reed, president of the Faith & Freedom Coalition, addresses the Road to Majority 2024 Conference in Washington, DC, on June 22, 2024. (Chris KLEPONIS/AFP)
The Path to Majority Conference is hosted annually by F&F, a leading grassroots Christian organization with more than 3 million members across the United States. The conference is known as the largest public policy gathering of conservative Christian activists in the United States and will focus on policy issues that matter most to voters of faith before the 2024 elections.
Virginia's Republican governor, Glenn Youngkin, spoke just before Trump and called for action to return the former president to the White House, as well as to strengthen Republican majorities in Congress.
The two first appeared together earlier this month, not long after a poll showed Trump and Biden tied in the blue-leaning state, fueling rumors already circulating that Youngkin is being considered as a possible teammate. formula for the vice presidency.
Other notable speakers at the conference included South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Dr. Ben Carson, former Hawaii Representative Tulsi Gabbard, who left the Democratic Party in 2022, North Carolina Senator South Lindsey Graham and Tennessee Senator. Bill Hagerty.
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Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin speaks during the Faith and Freedom Coalition's Path to Majority Policy Conference at the Washington Hilton on June 22, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)
Noem, Carson and Gabbard have also been mentioned as possible Trump running mates. The event marks the latest instance in which several of those supposedly vying for the position could be vying on stage for Trump's approval ahead of the Republican National Convention this summer.
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Trump will meet Biden on an Atlanta stage this Thursday in a debate hosted by CNN, the first meeting between the two rivals since their last debate before the 2020 presidential election.
The two are only expected to meet on the debate stage one more time before the November general election, when ABC News hosts its debate in September.
Get the latest updates from the 2024 election campaign, exclusive interviews and more in our Fox News Digital Election Center.
