Former president Donald Trump and his Republican rivals for the 2024 election have for months been heavily courting social conservatives and white evangelical Christians, seen as the most influential group in Iowa’s Republican caucuses.

“We thank you for the upcoming election, Lord — or caucus, as we call it in Iowa,” said Hundley, speaking from the sanctuary of his evangelical Christian church in his slight Texas drawl as his parishioners bowed their heads.

“It doesn’t matter what our opinion is,” he went on. “It’s really what’s your opinion that matters. But you’ve given us the privilege of being able to exercise a beautiful gift. The gift of vote. We thank you for that.”

While Hundley stops short of suggesting to his parishioners which candidate divine guidance should lead them to support, he is among more than 300 pastors and other faith leaders who’ve been described as supporters by former President Donald Trump’s campaign. It’s a message that some members of Hundley’s First Church of God have taken to heart, saying their faith informs their intention to caucus for Trump.

Ron Betts, a 72-year-old Republican who said he plans to caucus for “Trump all the way,” said he felt the former president “exemplified what Jesus would do.”

  • ghostdoggtv@lemmy.world
    162·
    6 months ago

    They’re not yanks, they’re southern confederates and they understand the concept well enough to engage in covert, coordinated warfare against it.

    • StorminNorman@lemmy.world
      7·
      6 months ago

      If you’re American, they’re not yanks as they aren’t Yankees. But to the rest of us, everyone who is a citizen of the US is a yank, regardless of if they’re a Yankee or not. Fair point on the rest though.

      • ghostdoggtv@lemmy.world
        3·
        6 months ago

        First of all they’re traitors to yanks, second I’m going with the more specific definition because that’s what the word actually means. I’m being a prick about this point on purpose because I sense two opposites being lashed together and they should absolutely not be treated as the same thing when one of them are aspiring fucking traitors.

        • StorminNorman@lemmy.world
          1·
          6 months ago

          You can want to be as specific all you want. Doesn’t mean the person you initially replied to is wrong, especially given there’s a couple of American dictionaries who list that definition. And I’d temper your rhetoric about there being such a divide a bit too, especially when Ohio and Indiana voted for Trump the year he won. Sure seems like there were a bunch of northerners who were thinking along the same lines as those in the south…

          Also, no need to apologise for being a prick, you shouldn’t give two fucks about what people think of you here. I mean, why should you censor yourself for some randoms who don’t know you from a bar of soap? We all have opinions, we should be able to express them how we want. We should also expect criticisms of those opinions though.