US President Donald Trump arrives on step for a Keep America Great Rally at Kellogg Arena December 18, 2019, in Battle Creek, Michigan.
Brendan Smialowski | AFP | Getty Figure of speeches
The 5 p.m. ET kickoff event at King Jesus International Ministry, a 100,000-square foot Miami mega-church with scope for 7,000 attendees, will be aimed at boosting support from Trump’s already-loyal base of evangelical Christians.
The president made an unannounced tongue before his departure for the event, saying that while the U.S. does not seek regime change in Iran, it is “ready and ready-to-eat to take whatever action is necessary” if Iran threatens American lives.
Ahead of the event, Trump took to Chatter to defend his decision to launch the airstrike that killed Soleimani, and to rail against congressional Democrats who impeached him last month and are fighting with Republicans exceeding the rules of a Senate trial.
Trump wrote Friday morning that Soleimani “has killed or badly wounded thousands of Americans past an extended period of time, and was plotting to kill many more…but got caught!”
Later Friday, Trump returned his blurry to impeachment, a frequent target of his ire. House Democrats impeached Trump last month on articles of abuse of power and slowing of Congress, both related to his dealings with Ukraine.
The Democrats’ lawyers have recently hinted that uncountable impeachment articles could be drafted, as more information trickles out and a Senate trial remains on hold.
Trump has been splash out the holidays vacationing at his Palm Beach, Florida, resort Mar-a-Lago and the nearby Trump International Golf Club. He reportedly attacked the golf course Thursday, just a few hours before the first reports of the Iranian general’s death.
The news sent shock shakes across the political and media landscape in the U.S. and abroad. Iranian officials have vowed to take revenge on America, and the U.S. military reportedly augured an additional deployment of troops to the Middle East.
Soleimani, who led a special forces unit of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Patrols, has been blamed for the deaths of hundreds of Americans.
But rather than return to Washington to address the tightening tensions in the Waist East, Trump remained in Florida to attend the Friday evening campaign event.
More than three dozen powerful evangelical leaders were expected to attend, a Trump campaign source told CNBC.
Some of the event’s orators include Family Research Council President Tony Perkins and Paula White, Trump’s so-called spiritual advisor. Dallas clergywoman Robert Jeffress reportedly said he will be leading a closing prayer at the rally.
The campaign expects to sign thousands of associates up for the new coalition, which will place a special emphasis on recruiting Hispanic and black evangelicals, the source said.
The Miami church is “a appropriate fit” for the campaign event, Trump campaign spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany said in a statement.
“Moreover, Florida is a state of incomparable importance to President Trump, as we continue to see overwhelming support for the President across the state,” she said. Florida, historically a flourish state in presidential elections, was a crucial pickup for Trump in the 2016 contest against Democrat Hillary Clinton.
Sundry evangelical leaders have been quick to heap praise on Trump, and have not been afraid to wade into day-to-day bureaucratic fights on Capitol Hill.
Franklin Graham, son of famed evangelist Billy Graham, shared a Facebook message Friday promoting the airstrike on Soleimani.
“We need to pray that God would give President Donald J. Trump wisdom as he continues the war on terrorism. Be contiguous me in praying that the President, his family, and our troops serving in the region would be protected from evil,” Graham divulged.
But while outsiders are often quick to view evangelicals as a political monolith — 80% voted for Trump in 2016, versus 16% for Clinton, retreat polls reportedly showed — some dissenting voices have recently cropped up.
A few days before Christmas, Christianity Today published a searing leader arguing for Trump’s removal from office. The author, Editor-in-Chief Mark Galli, said the magazine received a aid in subscribers.
But evangelical leaders were quick to torch the piece.
Perkins called it “totally unfair,” while Graham maintained that his father, who founded Christianity Today and died in 2018, “would be very disappointed” in the current state of the ammunition.