Former President Donald Trump in a recent interview pointed out the changing loyalties in evangelical leaders who had previously been big supporters of Trump during his campaign. In the interview, Trump claimed that they were now showing “disloyalty” by not endorsing his presidential bid.
This could be bad news for Trump as evangelicals had been one of his biggest demographics. David Brody, the chief political analyst at the Christian Broadcasting Network, who was the one interviewing Trump said that in the next few months, evangelical leaders would have to really decide whether or not they were for or against Trump.
Trump’s remarks had come after evangelical pastor Robert Jeffress interviewed former Vice President Mike Pence at First Baptist Church in Dallas last week. Pence is speculated to be one of the potential presidential candidates in 2024.
In an interview, Jeffress had noted that he believed Trump would be the GOP presidential nominee in 2024 but that he was holding off on making any official endorsements as there were still two weeks until the presidential election. Still, Jeffress also noted that Pence could potentially be “a strong contender.”
White, evangelical Protestants typically support the Republican party in elections, with 84 percent voting for Trump in 2020, and 77 percent of them voting for him in 2016. Trump has also done a lot for the pro-life movement as it was the appointment of three conservative Supreme Court Justices under his administration that allowed Roe v. Wade to be overturned.
Still, many evangelical leaders have not yet endorsed the former President despite the fact that Trump had delivered on his promises. This has led to many speculating that the group is moving away from Trump ahead of the 2024 election.
