Ralph Reed - For God and Country: The Christian Case for Trump

Praise for

F OR G OD AND C OUNTRY

In For God and Country, Ralph Reed dismantles liberal media falsehoods and provides a compelling analysis of why Evangelical Christians back Donald Trumpbecause his policies reflect their values and he is a champion for their beliefs. If you want to understand why Trump won in 2016 and will do so again in 2020, read this book.

Mark Levin, host of The Mark Levin Show, host of Life, Liberty & Levin on Fox News, and bestselling author

For decades, Evangelicals have wanted to defend their rights and answer their critics. In this terrific book, Ralph Reed shows them how. And he correctly argues they are right to support Donald Trump and his policies.

Mark Meadows, congressman from North Carolina and former chairman of the House Freedom Caucus

As Ralph Reed makes clear in his brilliant new book, Christians stand with Trump because he stands for important biblical principles including the right to life and religious liberty. If the Left was surprised by the level of Evangelical support for Trump in 2016, their heads will explode in 2020 when they see even more Evangelicals rally around the most pro-life, proreligious liberty, and pro-Israel president in history.

Dr. Robert Jeffress, pastor at First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, and author of Courageous: 10 Strategies for Thriving in a Hostile World

Donald Trump may not have been my first choice for president (I was!), but I joined tens of millions of Evangelicals in supporting him. In this rollicking account, Ralph Reed shows how these God-fearing, patriotic voters made the difference for Trump in 2016and will likely do so again in 2020.

Mike Huckabee, former governor of Arkansas, host of Huckabee on the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), and bestselling author

Many wonder why and how Evangelical Christians can support Donald Trump. Patriot and Christian leader Ralph Reed answers that question in For God and Country. Reed issues a stirring call to action because the 2020 election will shape the future of our beloved nation for our children and grandchildren. Life, liberty, and faith hang in the balance, and this terrific book gives me hope for America.

Dr. Jack Graham, pastor at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas

Copyright 2020 by Ralph Reed

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages in connection with a review written for inclusion in a magazine, newspaper, website, or broadcast.

Regnery is a registered trademark of Salem Communications Holding Corporation

ISBN: 978-1-68451-057-3

eISBN: 978-1-68451-064-1

Cover design by John Caruso

Cover photograph by Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

Author photo by Robin Rayne/Zuma

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020931953

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To Jo Anne

M r. Reed? Please hold. I have Donald Trump on the line.

I had never met or spoken with Donald Trump. Why was he calling me? How did he get my cell phone number? It was March 31, 2011, and I was sitting by a pool at a Miami Beach resort making phone calls and firing off emails. My family was flying down the next day for spring break. As it turned out, there was an explanation for Trumps call.

That morning, I had been on a treadmill at a hotel in Washington, D.C., watching the rerun of Fox News The OReilly Factor at five oclock in the morning. The guest was Donald Trump. I wasnt necessarily a huge Donald Trump fan. I had caught snippets of The Celebrity Apprentice, his hit television show, and viewed him more as a political gadfly than as a serious candidate. Trump had toyed with running for president as far back as 1988, and he did so again in 2000, when I worked on George W. Bushs presidential campaign. But he never took the plunge. Like most political observers, I was skeptical. Still, I was keenly interested in the 2012 presidential election, so I watched the interview and was pleasantly surprised with Trumps skill and aplomb as he parried back and forth with the famously aggressive Bill OReilly.

Mr. Trump has made millions building and selling real estate, OReilly said. But he has not been closely questioned about policy until tonight.

OReilly began with Obamacare: If it were repealed, would Trump provide health care to those who needed it?

I have a great, big, fat, beautiful heart. And when people are in trouble, I like to help them out, Trump replied. We have a moral obligation to help people. I really believe that. I believe that strongly, and not everybody does.

So would it be replaced with Trumpcare? Well, it would be a form of much better.

How did Trump intend to deal with illegal immigration? Well, you either have a country or you dont, Trump vowed. You either have a line and a boundary or you dont. He called for deploying U.S. military forces on the border and deporting illegal aliens on a case-by-case basis, allowing those who obeyed the law and contributed to society to remaina law-and-order stance that would shortly rock the political establishment.

What about abortion? OReilly asked.

As you know, Im pro-life, Trump replied matter-of-factly.

OK, so youre pro-life on abortion. Would you outlaw abortion?

Well, Id go a pretty strong step. I used to not be pro-life. I have become pro-life. Then Trump got personal. I have seen friends that had children that they didnt want. And now they have children, and they are the apple of the eye. So I really have changed in my views over the years, and I am pro-life.

Donald Trump was pro-life? I was floored; I had assumed that Trumps tabloid past and gilded Manhattan social status had shaped him into a social liberal. Trump sidestepped the question of whether he would outlaw abortion while promising to take a pretty strong step to protect life. He shifted the discussion to the personal, revealing that he had friends who had had unwanted pregnancies but did not have abortions. The children later born were the apple of the eye. This was similar to the advice I had given candidates for decades: Explain your pro-life views in personal terms, such as an adopted child in ones family. When it comes to the highly polarizing and emotional issue of abortion, people can argue all day about politics or the law, but they cannot argue about your own story. Many of those candidates didnt follow my advice. But Trumps was one of the better pro-life answers I had heard in my career.

OReilly then asked about gay marriage. Im against it, Trump shot back without hesitation.

Why?

I just dont feel good about it, Trump replied. I dont feel right about it. Im against it and I take a lot of heat because I come from New York. You know, for New York its like, how can you be against gay marriage? But Im opposed to gay marriage.