WASHINGTON, July 30 – Donald Trump stirred controversy once again on Monday by repeating remarks he made over the weekend at a Christian summit, where he suggested that if elected, Americans would not need to vote again.
During his initial comments on Friday, Trump told the audience to “get out and vote, just this time,” adding that “you won’t have to do it any more. Four more years, you know what? It’ll be fixed, it’ll be fine, you won’t have to vote any more, my beautiful Christians.” This statement drew criticism from Democrats and others who labeled it as “terrifying,” “authoritarian,” and “anti-democratic.”
In an attempt to clarify his comments, Trump appeared on Fox News with Laura Ingraham. He explained, “That statement is very simple, I said, ‘Vote for me, you’re not gonna have to do it ever again.’ It’s true, because we have to get the vote out. Christians are not known as a big voting group, they don’t vote. And I’m explaining that to them. You never vote. This time, vote. I’ll straighten out the country, you won’t have to vote any more, I won’t need your vote any more, you can go back to not voting.”
Ingraham noted that many Democrats had interpreted his comments as implying a permanent end to elections. Trump responded by reiterating his belief that Christians often do not vote and emphasized the importance of their participation in the upcoming election. “You have to vote” in the November 5 election, he stressed, calling it “the most important presidential race in US history.” He continued, “After that you don’t have to worry about voting any more. I don’t care, because we’re going to fix it, the country will be fixed and we won’t even need your vote any more because, frankly, we will have such love.”
When pressed by Ingraham about whether he would leave office after a second term, Trump confirmed, “Of course.” He added, “By the way … I did last time.”
Trump’s comments on Friday followed his earlier remarks at the National Rifle Association convention in Dallas, where he had alluded to the possibility of serving three terms, reminiscent of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s tenure during the Great Depression and World War II. The 22nd Amendment, enacted in 1951, limits presidents to two four-year terms.
A spokesperson for Trump’s campaign had previously indicated that the former president’s remarks were intended to promote national unity and prosperity, rather than suggesting an indefinite stay in office.
