Trump accuses 'radical' Democratic candidates of trying to 'silence our churches'


President Trump is working on solidifying the evangelical vote.
Trump on Friday evening launched his "Evangelicals for Trump" coalition at a re-election campaign event at King Jesus International Ministry in Miami, Florida. The gathering, which included church leaders praying over Trump, comes just weeks after Christianity Today, a leading evangelical magazine, called for the president's removal from office.
During the event, Trump painted himself as a champion of religious communities and accused Democrats of pursuing an "extreme, anti-religious and socialist" agenda. Trump said religion in the U.S. was "under siege" and he would defend it against every Democratic presidential candidate, all of whom he said were trying to "silence our churches and our pastors."
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In light of the event, a non-profit group has asked the Internal Revenue Service to investigate the megachurch because it may have violated non-partisan rules by holding a rally, although its pastor, Guillermo Maldonado, said the church does not take positions in political campaigns. Read more at The Hill and CBS Miami.
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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
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