Republican presidential candidates including ex-President Donald Trump made appearances at the Washington, DC-based Pray Vote Stand Summit Friday night in efforts to win over the right-wing Christian evangelical base, The Daily Beast reports.
"Throughout the event at the Omni Shoreham hotel," the Beast notes, "attendees worshiped God with song and prayer and heard speakers drive home the urgency to elect Biblically-minded candidates and protect children from 'indoctrination' in public schools. More than a few times evangelical activists warned of 'Marxist,' 'radical left' and 'transgender' ideologies."
Ex-Vice President Mike Pence told the audience, "The facts speak for themselves. Today more young people are delaying having a family altogether. The share of never-married adults has tripled since 1980. People are getting married later, having children later in life; declining U.S. birth rates" — all the "hallmarks of decline."
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Biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who gained more popularity among Republican voters following the first GOP debate last month said during his speech, "It's like playing a game of Whac-a-Mole. You get the wokeism down you here. You got the transgenderism over there. Got that down; COVID-ism over here. Got that down; climatism's up again; globalism."
The Beast notes, "Perhaps inspired by questions the scripture-quoting candidate is facing about his Hindu faith, one heckler yelled, 'Who is your God?'"
According to the report, Trump made a point during his speech to criticize 2024 GOP hopeful and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis saying, "He's fallen like a very badly injured bird from the sky."
Also on Friday night, Florida Republicans agreed to nix the GOP loyalty pledge — which would have required the state party to back the 2024 GOP nominee no matter what — in an effort to collectively support Trump over the governor.
“I don't know how you could be a leader without having faith in God," DeSantis said. "When you stand up for what's right in this day and age, that is not going to be cost-free. You are going to face blowback, you're going to face attacks, you're going to face smears. And it’s the faith in God that gives you the strength to stand firm against the lies, against the deceit, against the opposition."
The Christian Post notes the governor "repeatedly discussed his record as Florida governor in his remarks and concluded his speech by describing his state as 'the place where woke goes to die,'" emphasizing, "As president, we are going to leave the woke mind virus in the dustbin of history, where it belongs, once and for all."
Recently, Florida's largest newspaper, The Miami Herald's editorial board slammed the GOP leader by offering a few examples of DeSantis' "sledgehammer approach to governing," highlighting the ways he "seems more concerned with headlines than prudent governing."
The Daily Beast's full report is available at this link (subscription required). The Christian Post's report is here.