Trump explains Christians ‘won't have to vote again’ comments
Donald Trump addressed in an interview Monday night with Fox News host Laura Ingraham his comments about Christians not "having to vote anymore."
Trump made the comments at a rally Friday, saying to an audience of Christians that they "won’t have to vote anymore" after he's elected.
He urged Christians to vote "just this time," and said, "You won’t have to do it anymore."
In four years, he said: "It’ll be fixed, it’ll be fine. You won’t have to vote anymore, my beautiful Christians."
He added moments later: "In four years, you don’t have to vote again. We’ll have it fixed so good, you’re not gonna have to vote."
The meaning behind his comments has been questioned, especially by Democrats.
FILE - Former President Donald Trump speaks during a Turning Point USA Believers Summit conference at the Palm Beach Convention Center on July 26, 2024 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Laura Ingraham interview
In the interview with Ingraham, Trump said that his comments were because Christians do not vote in large numbers
"They don't vote, and I’m explaining that to 'em. ‘You never vote.’ This time, vote. I’ll straighten out the country. You won’t have to vote anymore. I won't need your vote," Trump said.
Ingraham asked if he meant Christians won't need to vote for him because he will only have four years in office.
Trump started his answer by speaking about voting rates of Christians and gun owners, and Ingraham interrupted to ask him again.
"Don’t worry about the future. Vote, on, you have to vote on November 5th. After that, you don’t have to worry about voting anymore. I don’t care because we're going to fix up — the country will be fixed and we won’t even need your vote anymore because, frankly, we will have such love. If you don’t want to vote anymore, that’s OK," Trump said.
You can watch his remarks in full in the video player above.
Trump made similar comments last month at another Christian-focused event, in which he lamented the voting rates of Christians and implored them to participate in the election.
"In four years, you don’t have to vote, OK? In four years, don’t vote. I don’t care," he said.
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Trump and Kamala Harris debate
In the same interview, Ingraham pressed Trump on whether he’d debate Vice President Kamala Harris.
Trump had been willing to debate President Joe Biden when Biden was the Democratic nominee, but after Biden dropped out of the race and Harris became poised to be the Democratic presidential candidate, Trump has been questioning the terms of the original debate he agreed to with Biden. He has suggested the Sept. 10 debate on ABC News should be moved to a different network, calling ABC "fake news."
In the interview Monday, Ingraham repeatedly pressed Trump on whether he would commit to a debate.
"I want to do a debate. But I also can say this. Everybody knows who I am. And now people know who she is," Trump said.
Trump eventually said, "The answer is yes, I'll probably end up debating."
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He went on for a minute, saying any debates need to be held before early voting starts in states, and then he added, "The answer is yes, but I can also make a case for not doing it."
This story was reported from Detroit. The Associated Press contributed.