As
previously reported, yesterday President Trump spoke to evangelical leaders at a dinner in the State Dining Room of the White House. Subsequently the White House posted a
transcript of the President's remarks. It appears to be a transcript of the remarks as delivered, not merely as prepared, since audience applause is noted a various points. However,
CNN today reports on other quotations which it says were taken from a recording of the President's "closed-door remarks" in the State Dining Room. Apparently these preceded or followed the remarks posted by the White House. Here are the quotes as reported by CNN:
This November 6 election is very much a referendum on not only me, it's a referendum on your religion, it's a referendum on free speech and the First Amendment. It's a referendum on so much.
It's not a question of like or dislike, it's a question that they will overturn everything that we've done and they will do it quickly and violently. And violently. There is violence. When you look at Antifa -- these are violent people.
You have tremendous power. You were saying, in this room, you have people who preach to almost 200 million people. Depending on which Sunday we're talking about.
You have to hopefully get out and get people to support us. If you don't, that will be the beginning of ending everything that you've gotten. The polls might be good, but a lot of them say they are going to vote in 2020, but they're not going to vote if I'm not on a ballot. I think we're doing well, I think we're popular, but there's a real question as to whether people are going to vote if I'm not on the ballot. And I'm not on the ballot.
I just ask you to go out and make sure all of your people vote. Because if they don't -- it's November 6 -- if they don't vote, we're going to have a miserable two years and we're going to have, frankly, a very hard period of time. You're one election away from losing everything that you've gotten. Little thing: Merry Christmas, right? You couldn't say 'Merry Christmas.'
