Tim Alberta: “Trump’s relationship with the evangelical movement — once seemingly shatterproof, then shaky after his violent departure from the White House — is now in pieces, thanks to his social-media tirade last fall blaming pro-lifers for the Republicans’ lackluster midterm performance.”
“Mike Pence believes that this erosion of support among evangelicals represents Trump’s greatest vulnerability in the upcoming primary — and his own greatest opportunity to make a play for the GOP nomination.”
“But he isn’t the only one. Although Pence possesses singular insights into the insular world of social-conservative politics, numerous other Republicans are aware of Trump’s emerging weakness and are preparing to make a play for conservative Christian voters…. The scale of Trump’s trouble is difficult to overstate. In my recent conversations with some two dozen evangelical leaders — many of whom asked not to be named, all of whom backed Trump in 2016, throughout his presidency, and again in 2020 — not a single one would commit to supporting him in the 2024 Republican primary.”
