Fox News' Laura Ingraham grills Trump over 'you won’t have to vote anymore' remark but he remains evasive

WASHINGTON, DC: Fox News host Laura Ingraham pressed former President Donald Trump on Monday, July 29, regarding his controversial statement made at a conservative Christian summit.

At Turning Point Action’s “Believers Summit” in Florida, Trump had suggested that attendees wouldn’t need to vote after November if he were elected.

Some Democrats interpreted his remarks as implying that he intended to eliminate future elections were he to win.

Trump claims remarks addressed low Christian voter turnout

However, Trump defended his statement by claiming it was a commentary on the low voter turnout among Christians and made a seemingly offhand remark about Jewish voters who support Democrats.

“That statement is very simple. I said vote for me, you’re not going to have to do it ever again. It’s true, because we have to get the vote out. Christians are not known as a big voting group,” Trump explained.

He continued, “This time vote. I’ll straighten out the country, you won’t have to vote anymore. I won’t need your vote. You can go back to not voting.”

Ingraham questioned Trump, asking if he meant that voters wouldn’t need to vote for him again due to his four-year term. Trump avoided a direct response and reiterated his point that Christians typically vote in lower numbers.

“Christians do not vote well. They vote in very small percentages. Why, I don’t know. Maybe they’re disappointed in things that are happening,” Trump remarked.

“I say, ‘You don’t vote. I’m saying go out, you must vote.’ But I said to the Christians in the room, thousands of them. I said typically, Christians do not vote.”

“Don’t worry about the future,” he continued. “You have to vote on Nov 5. After that you don’t have to worry about voting anymore. I don’t care, because we’re going to fix it. The country will be fixed … We won’t even need your vote anymore because, frankly, we will have such love.”

Trump's 'Believers Summit' speech sparks concerns of authoritarian intent 

Donald Trump’s comments were made during his address at Turning Point Action’s “Believers Summit” in Florida, where he urged Christians to support him for a second term against Vice President Kamala Harris.

He concluded his speech with a call for voting in November, adding, “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.”

Democrats, including the Harris campaign, seized on these remarks, suggesting they indicated a potential authoritarian approach and a disregard for democratic processes. They also highlighted Trump’s comments about being a dictator for just one day if reelected to implement major changes in energy and immigration policies.

Kamala Harris campaign defends election integrity amid criticism of Trump’s remarks

James Singer, a spokesperson for the Harris campaign, stated, “When Vice President Harris says this election is about freedom she means it.”

However, some have criticized this interpretation.

Kate Bedingfield, former White House communications director under Biden, argued on social media that Trump’s comments reflect a disregard for the election’s importance, suggesting, “I think he is saying I won’t be on the ticket either way, so who cares.”

She added, “Which is hideously damning in its own right, cause this is what the Republican Party has turned itself inside out and shredded its credibility for — to become a stan account for this one awful, narcissistic guy.”