Former US President Donald Trump made an appeal to evangelical Christians, emphasising the importance of their vote in the upcoming November elections. Trump promised robust protection of religious freedoms, asserting, "I will aggressively protect their religious freedom if I am elected."

Despite his sporadic church attendance, Trump has won over a substantial portion of the religious right by fulfilling key promises, such as appointing Supreme Court justices who contributed to overturning the federal right to abortion.

According to France 24, addressing hundreds of supporters at a conference in Washington organised by the Faith and Freedom Coalition, Trump highlighted a concern with evangelical voter turnout: “The evangelicals and the Christians, they don't vote as much as they should," he noted. Trump humorously added a caveat for future elections, saying: "In four years, you don't have to vote. Okay? In four years, don't vote. I don't care."

Acknowledging term limits that would prevent him from running again in 2028 if elected, Trump focused on the present, emphasising the crucial role evangelical voters played in his 2016 victory and subsequent 2020 campaign.

According to Pew Research Center figures, 84 per cent of white evangelical Protestants voted for him.

Trump's speech concluded with, "I will aggressively defend religious freedom. I stood up to the communists, Marxists, and fascists to defend religious liberty like no other president has ever done."