Republicans try to brush off Trump’s claim Christians won’t need to vote anymore as ‘a joke’

Some Republican lawmakers are downplaying Donald Trump’s claim that Christians will never have to vote again if he is elected in November.

Trump made the remarks at the Believers’ Summit in West Palm Beach, Florida, Friday, at an event hosted by Turning Point Action, a conservative organization founded by Charlie Kirk.

There, Trump told the audience: “Christians, get out and vote, just this time. You won’t have to do it anymore...You got to get out and vote. In four years, you don’t have to vote again. We’ll have it fixed so good you’re not going to have to vote.”

Now, some GOP lawmakers are looking to minimize the comments.

“I think he’s obviously making a joke about how bad things had been under Joe Biden, and how good they’ll be if we send President Trump back to the White House so we can turn the country around,” Republican Senator Tom Cotton told CNN on Sunday.

New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu called the remark a “classic Trump-ism.”

“I think he’s just trying to make the point that this stuff can be fixed,” the Republican governor told ABC News.

The Trump campaign also defended the former president’s comments.

“[Trump] was talking about uniting this country and bringing prosperity to every American, as opposed to the divisive political environment that has sowed so much division and even resulted in an assassination attempt,” campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung told The Washington Post.

Trump’s speech prompted an immediate backlash as Democratic lawmakers condemned the comments.

California Representative Adam Schiff called on voters to reject “authoritarianism.”

“Here Trump helpfully reminds us that the alternative is never having the chance to vote again,” Schiff said about the comment.

Democratic