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Former president Donald Trump told a convention of religious broadcasters Thursday he will protect religious liberty if he regains the White House, telling the cheering crowd \u201cwe will protect Christians\u201d and \u201cwe will protect God in our public square.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Trump made the comments during a speech to the National Religious Broadcasters (NRB), which invited all the candidates, including President Biden. The NRB convention was held in Nashville, Tenn.\u00a0<\/p>\n
People of faith, Trump said, are increasingly being targeted by the Left.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAmericans of faith are not a threat to our country. Americans of faith are the soul of our country,\u201d Trump said. \u201c… Remember: Every communist regime throughout history has tried to stamp out the churches, just like every fascist regime has tried to co-op them and control them. And in America, the radical Left is trying to do both at the same time.<\/p>\n
\u201c… They want to tear down crosses where they can and cover them up with social justice flags. \u2026 They want to take off the names George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson off schools and off monuments.\u201d<\/p>\n
Polls show Trump and Biden \u2013 the two likely major party nominees \u2013 neck and neck both nationally and in key battleground states.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I return to the White House, I will once again aggressively defend religious liberty just like I had for four years,\u201d Trump said. \u201cYou had no problems. But we’re going to defend it in all of its forms. We will protect Christians in our schools and our military and our government and in all of those airwaves. \u2026 And we will protect God in our public square.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trump made a unique appeal to the religious broadcasters.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI will never allow the big media or left-wing pressure groups to silence you, censor you, discriminate against you, or in any way tell you what you have to say,\u201d he said. \u201c… There’s enough filth on our airwaves, American families need a haven where our children can be taught our values \u2013 not have radical values forced upon them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trump also pledged to \u201ccreate a new federal task force on fighting anti-Christian bias.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIts mission will be to investigate all forms of illegal discrimination, harassment and persecution against Christians in America,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The former president even, briefly, mentioned his own faith.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAs you know, the Left is trying to shame Christians,\u201d he said. \u201cThey try and shame us. I’m a very proud Christian. I\u2019ve been very busy fighting and taking the arrows. I\u2019m taking it for you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Photo credit: \u00a9Getty Images\/Jeff J. Mitchell\/Staff<\/em><\/p>\n Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press,\u00a0<\/em>Christianity Today<\/em>, <\/em>The Christian Po<\/em>st, <\/em>the\u00a0<\/em>Leaf-Chronicle<\/em>,\u00a0<\/em>the Toronto Star<\/em> and\u00a0<\/em>the Knoxville News-Sentinel<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n