Former President Donald Trump urged members of a crowd in Florida to vote and said that if he wins, they “won’t have to vote anymore.”
Speaking at a Turning Point Action event in West Palm Beach on Friday, Trump, who tried to overturn the 2020 election he lost, delivered a cryptic message.
“And again, Christians, get out and vote!” he said to a cheering audience. “Just this time. You won’t have to do it anymore. Four more years. You know what? It’ll be fixed! It’ll be fine! You won’t have to vote anymore, my beautiful Christians. I love you, Christians! I’m a Christian. I love you. Get out. You gotta get out and vote. In four years, you don’t have to vote again.”
“Hello, fellow Christians! You should vote for me, because I am, like you, a Christian! Praise Jesus!”
“I love you, Christians! I’m not Christian.”
That’s what he said. It’s clear from the context, from his body language, from everything. You don’t talk about a group as “you X” when you’re a part of it, you talk about “we X”. He talked about them as an outsider, then made it clear he wasn’t one.
Trump has always touted himself as a Christian. It would make zero sense to go back on that now. Especially when you’re talking to a room full of Christians.
If he was thinking clearly and not riffing, sure. But, this time it accidentally slipped out.