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WASHINGTON — Former President Donald Trump is giving the keynote speech to the Faith and Freedom Coalition’s “2024 Road to Majority” conference in Washington on Saturday, speaking to an evangelical group whose advocacy for a national abortion ban conflicts with Trump’s policy statements on the issue.
Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, has walked a tight rope in his remarks on abortion restrictions, which Democrats see as a liability for the GOP going into November. Earlier this year, he declined to endorse a national abortion ban, saying the issue should be left to the states to decide.
Despite their differences, Christian conservatives make up a key part of Trump’s base and lauded his appointment of three conservative Supreme Court justices who later overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade decision guaranteeing a constitutional right to abortion.
The Faith and Freedom coalition has advocated for abortion bans in many states since the Supreme Court’s June 2022 ruling. On Saturday, Trump’s ninth appearance at the group’s “Road to Majority” conference, the former president was welcomed with open arms.
“I am confident President Trump will receive the enthusiastic response from our grassroots activists that he has earned for being such a solid champion for our shared values of faith and freedom,” Ralph Reed, the founder and chairman of the group, said in a statement earlier this week.
The former president has waffled on the abortion issue for decades, referring to himself as pro-choice” and “pro-life” at various times.
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley are also scheduled speak at the conference on Saturday.
