Former President Donald Trump assured attendees at a conservative Christian event on Friday night that they "won't have to vote anymore" if he is elected this
November. Speaking at The Believers' Summit, hosted by Turning Point Action in West Palm Beach, Florida, Trump urged Christians to vote "just this time" to secure a landslide victory "too big to rig."
"Christians get out and vote. Just this time," Trump said. "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."
Trump, the Republican Party's 2024 presidential candidate, emphasized his Christian faith and his love for Christian voters. "I love you Christians and I'm a Christian. I love you, you got to get out and vote. In four years, you don't have to vote again. We'll have it fixed so good, you're not going to have to vote," he added.
His remarks sparked concern on social media, with some interpreting them as hints of authoritarianism and a potential refusal to leave office if re-elected. Allison Gill, co-host of the podcast "Jack," posted an image of Trump's message, warning, "Democracy is in danger. This is not a drill."
Toward the end of his hour-long speech, Trump reiterated his false claims that the 2020 presidential election was rigged in favor of President Biden. The audience responded with a standing ovation and chants of "Fight, fight, fight," echoing Trump's gesture after a bullet grazed his ear during an attempted assassination at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, two weeks ago.
Trump revealed that he had removed the last bandage from his ear just before the event. "I just took it off. I took it off for this group. I don't know why I did that for this group, but that's it," he said.
Prior to Friday night's event, Trump had been wearing a large white bandage over his ear. By the time of his rally in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Wednesday, he was wearing a more discreet flesh-colored one.
CBS News reached out to the Trump campaign for comment on his remarks.
Trump's speech at the summit came just hours after meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago. Netanyahu had met with President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris separately a day earlier at the White House. Event organizers reported an attendance of about 3,500 people.
Throughout his speech, Trump criticized Harris, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, following President Biden's decision not to seek re-election.
Other speakers at the two-day event, which focused on "unity and biblical truth," included former Trump adviser Peter Navarro, Dr. Ben Carson, and conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Navarro, recently released from prison, led the audience in a chant of, "If we don't control our government, their government will control us," and warned, "What happened to me, can happen to you. If they can come for Donald Trump, they can come for you." Navarro had served a four-month sentence for defying a congressional subpoena.
Trump has consistently sought to engage evangelical Christians. In June, he urged a group of influential evangelical Christians in Washington to "go and vote, Christians, please!" highlighting the importance of their participation in the 2024 election. Photo by Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, Wikimedia commons.