(RNS) In an interview with “The Brody File,” Donald Trump said evangelical support will give him the edge he needs to beat Hillary Clinton on Nov. 8.
The interview, which aired on the Christian Broadcasting Network with host David Brody, featured Trump and his wife, Melania, for what he claimed was the ninth exclusive interview.
“They kind of brought you to the dance, if you will,” Brody said of evangelical voters. “They’re the ones who are gonna get you over the top here?”
“If they vote, we’re going to win the election,” Trump responded.
A new poll by the Public Religion Research Institute finds white evangelicals back the Republican presidential candidate by wider margins than any other religious group. Roughly two-thirds (66 percent) of white evangelical Protestant voters said they will vote for or are leaning towards supporting Trump, while only 17 percent say they support Clinton.
This despite Trump’s many ecclesiastical faux pas over the course of the campaign, such as when he called communion his “little wine” and his “little cracker.”
Trump argued on The Brody File that religious liberty was under fire, and the situation would worsen with a Clinton presidency. “If Hillary Clinton gets in, you’re not going to have religious liberty.”