Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump told Christians on Friday that if they voted for him this November, “in four years, you won’t have to vote again. We’ll fix it so well you won’t have to vote”.
It was unclear what the former president meant by his remarks, in an election campaign where his Democratic opponents accused him of being a threat to democracy, and following his attempt to overturn his 2020 defeat to President Joe Biden, an effort that led to the deadly insurrection at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.
The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for clarification on his comments.
Trump was speaking at an event organized by the conservative group Turning Point Action in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Trump said: “Christians, get out and vote, just this one time. “You won’t have to do it anymore. Four more years, you know what, it’ll be fine, 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’ve got to get out and vote. In four years, you won’t have to vote again, we’ll fix it so much that you won’t have to vote,” Trump said.
In a Fox News interview in December, Trump said he would become a dictator if he won the Nov. 5 election, but only from “day one,” closing the southern border with Mexico and expanding oil mining.
Democrats have seized on the comment. Trump has said the remark was a joke.
If Trump wins a second term in the White House, he can only serve four more years as president. Under the US Constitution, US presidents are limited to two consecutive terms, whether consecutive or not.
In May, speaking at a National Rifle Association gathering, Trump joked about serving more than two terms as president.
He referred to the presidency of Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt, who served more than two terms. The two-term limit was added after Roosevelt’s presidency.
“You know, FDR, 16 years — almost 16 years — he was a four-termer. I don’t know, would we be considered a three-termer? Or a two-termer?” Trump asked the NRA crowd.
Trump’s comments on Friday pointed to the need for both parties to energize their base voters in what is likely to be a closely contested election. Trump has enjoyed loyal support from evangelicals in the past two elections.
The race has suddenly tightened following Biden’s decision to end his re-election bid and his Vice President Kamala Harris becoming the presumptive Democratic nominee.
Recent opinion polls show that Trump’s significant lead over Biden has largely eroded since he passed the torch to Harris.
Harris campaign spokesman Jason Singer in a statement did not directly respond to Trump’s comment that Christians should not vote again.
Singer described Trump’s entire speech as “bizarre” and “backward-looking.”
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