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Here’s What Trump Really Said on Life and Religious Liberty in New York

Donald Trump (photo credit: Gage Skidmore)

Yesterday, Jon Schweppe gave readers of The Pulse 2016 his thoughts after attending Donald Trump’s Tuesday meeting with religious conservatives in New York. His article summarized some of the assurances Trump made, but now that the official transcript of the meeting has been released, a more detailed picture has emerged of how the presumptive Republican nominee plans to protect and promote pro-life principles and religious freedom if elected.

During the meeting, Trump reiterated his promise to pick strictly pro-life Supreme Court justices if elected:

There are numerous things that we’re going to be doing. For one thing, we’re going to appoint great Supreme Court justices. [Applause]

And these will be Supreme Court justices that will be great intellects, that will be talented men in what they do (and women), but also be pro-life. . . .

“I’m putting pro-life judges on… Eleven, we’ve picked 11 so far. And we’ll pick a few more and they’ll be very similar. I’ve gotten tremendous reviews. The alternative is the opposite. There won’t be any pro-life judges put on there. They will be all pro-choice. They will be all, 100 percent.”

Trump also spoke frankly about religious freedom in the U.S., observing that the question of religious liberty is “the number one question,” and speaking at length regarding the Johnson Amendment:

The government has gotten so involved in your religion. Especially your religion, that it makes it very difficult. We’ll talk about that. Mike and I have been discussing it, and I think we have some very important things to say.

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These 3 Rule Changes Backfired on the GOP — And Helped Nominate Trump

From left: former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Donald Trump

Mitt Romney may be vehemently opposed to Donald Trump. But Trump could not have won the nomination without him.

At least, that is the case put forward by Gwynn Guilford in a recent article from Quartz. Guilford details how rule changes implemented by the GOP elite in 2012 election ended up backfiring, and to the elite’s dismay, propelled the unconventional, anti-establishment wild-card Trump to the Republican nomination.

The article identifies three dramatic rule changes, which, though aimed at ensuring party unity around an establishment candidate, instead helped pave the way for Trump’s resounding victory:

1.) The first rule “forced states to bind their delegates to the popular vote results, rendering moot the caucus system of electing delegates to vote their conscience.” While the rule was originally intended to prevent a Ron Paul-type insurgency during state conventions, Trump was able to take advantage of this change in the 2016 primary, where, for example, he scooped up 8 Minnesota delegates without ever stepping foot in the state.  If the delegates were unbound, he would likely have received far fewer, but by using his celebrity status and ability to generate free media, he was able to quickly and effectively get his name out in the state — all without having to persuade seasoned Republican delegates to back him.

2.) The second rule change (Rule 12), let “the RNC amend the rules in between national conventions” which is why, in January 2014, it was allowed to shorten the primary schedule for certain states. Continue Reading