Updated at 1:15 p.m. ET
President Trump spoke to one of the most faithful blocs of his base on Friday, telling attendees at this year's Values Voter Summit that in America "we don't worship government, we worship God."
Trump was the first sitting president to address the annual gathering of Christian conservatives, and while he's had trouble enacting some of his campaign promises legislatively so far in his term, he has ticked off many boxes with the evangelical voters that helped propel him to the Oval Office.
"We know that it's the family and the church — not government officials — who know best how to create strong and loving communities," Trump said.
He got a standing ovation when he talked of appointing Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court. Trump noted he signed a religious liberty order on the National Day of Prayer that eased enforcement of the Johnson Amendment, which regulated political activity of churches. And he reminded the crowd that last week he also weakened the contraception mandate in the Affordable Care Act, which some religious groups like the Little Sisters of the Poor opposed.
"We are stopping cold the attacks on Judeo-Christian values," Trump said to applause.
Referencing his announcement late Thursday night that he was ending payments for the Affordable Care Act's subsidies for low-income Americans, he said his efforts to enact a health care overhaul — not helped thus far by having a GOP-controlled Congress — was a "step by step by step" process, and that the latest action was a "big step."
"We're taking a little different route than we had hoped, because getting Congress – they forget what their pledges were," Trump said. "So we're going a little different route. But you know what? In the end, it's going to be just as effective, and maybe it'll even be better. "
Trump also got acclaim for his recent criticism of NFL players who have kneeled during the national anthem in order to protest what they see as racial injustice in the country. He got another standing ovation when he proclaimed that "we respect our great American flag."
Bill Bennett, a conservative radio host and former secretary of education under former President Ronald Reagan, followed Trump and suggested that many of the NFL players were kneeling because they "don't know any better" and don't know enough about the country's history and reverence of the flag.
The president also returned to a familiar campaign trail refrain, promising that as the holiday season approaches "We're saying 'Merry Christmas' again."
"And as a Christmas gift to all of our hardworking families, we hope Congress will pass massive tax cuts for the American people," Trump continued. "That includes increasing the child tax credit and expanding it to eliminate the marriage penalty. Because we know that the American family is the true bedrock of American life."
He touted his administration's success in taking on ISIS, pledging to fight "radical Islamic terrorism."
"In this administration, we will call evil by its name," Trump said. "We stand with our friends and allies, we forge new partnerships in pursuit of peace and we take decisive action against those who would threaten our people with harm."
And Trump got cheers when he pledged that, "In protecting America's interests abroad, we will always support our cherished friend and partner the state of Israel."
"We're confronting rogue regimes from Iran to North Korea," he continued. "And we are challenging the communist dictatorship of Cuba and the socialist oppression of Venezuela. And we will not lift the sanctions on these repressive regimes until they restore political and religious freedom for their people."
Trump also talked of the courage and resilience he saw when visiting victims of the recent deadly mass shooting in Las Vegas and while touring areas devastated by hurricanes in Texas and Florida — and knocked negative media coverage of his administration's response to devastation in Puerto Rico. He said he was in contact with leaders in all the ravaged areas, including the president of the Virgin Islands. However, there is no president of the U.S. territory — that would be Trump himself.
His speech Friday was the third time Trump addressed the conservative gathering, after previously speaking at the event in 2015 as a candidate and then in 2016 as the Republican presidential nominee. Both of those appearances came amid plenty of questions as to whether the thrice-married billionaire and former casino owner could appeal to religious conservatives.
But there was no hesitation among the crowd in its fervor for Trump, as he threw out plenty of red meat and hit many religious themes, despite showing an unfamiliarity with Scripture in the past.
"As long as we have pride in our country, confidence in our future and faith in our God, then America will prevail," Trump said.
Other Trump administration figures are also slated to address the group on Friday, including White House counselor Kellyanne Conway. Former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore, who recently won the GOP nomination for the state's open Senate seat, will also speak later Friday. Saturday former White House aide Sebastian Gorka is among the scheduled speakers.
Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, who recently left the Trump administration to return as chairman of Breitbart News, will also address the group Saturday morning. He's expected to detail some of his plans for backing challengers who will take on establishment candidates and incumbents, like he did with Moore last month.
The annual gathering began in 2006, near the end of the term of the previous Republican president and a few years before former President Obama's two terms in office.
"After eight years enduring the Obama administration's hostility toward everything from religious liberty to the unborn, values voters were eager to see President Trump accelerate the undoing of Obama's policies," Family Research Council President Tony Perkins wrote on the conservative website Breitbart recently. FRC Action, the legislative affiliate of Perkins' group, founded the yearly summit.
Speaking to the gathering in September of last year, Trump addressed what had been a lingering question during the GOP primaries about his ability to reach and win over the party's evangelical bloc — and the then-candidate said that their loyalty to him would be reciprocated.
"A lot of people said: 'I wonder if Donald will get the evangelicals,'" Trump told the conference last year. "I got the evangelicals. I'm going to make it up to you, too. You watch. There are no more decent, devoted or selfless people than our Christian brothers and sisters here in the United States."
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