One of the nation’s largest Catholic advocacy groups, CatholicVote, officially endorsed former President Donald Trump on Monday, urging Catholic voters in New Hampshire to rally behind him in the upcoming presidential primary.
The organization, which had initially maintained neutrality in the primary, shifted its stance as the GOP field narrowed to two contenders, President Trump and former UN ambassador Nikki Haley.
“The choice is now clear,” declared CatholicVote President Brian Burch, emphasizing the importance of selecting a candidate capable of defeating incumbent President Joe Biden, a Democrat.
“I know many Catholics are divided over whether Trump is the best candidate to defeat Biden. But that’s also what primaries are for. The only two candidates that remain are Trump and Haley,” added Mr. Burch. “And the choice is a no-brainer.”
Mr. Burch highlighted President Trump’s achievements in office, including overseeing a robust economy and appointing three Supreme Court justices, leading to the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
“We need a general to lead us,” he asserted, stressing the necessity of a leader who is unafraid to fight for truth.
“Someone who knows the truth and is willing to fight for it, not simply someone who will calculate the path of least resistance to accomplish some good on the margins.”
“Politics often involves making bold decisions,” Mr. Burch emphasized. “And we’ve made ours.”
CatholicVote will email and text around 137,000 Catholic voters in New Hampshire to support President Trump’s campaign.
President Trump said he was “grateful” to receive the Catholic group’s endorsement.
“I just want to thank them. They are incredible,” he said, adding, “I don’t know what it is with Catholics, but the FBI is going after Catholics.”
According to a leaked January 2023 FBI memo from the Richmond Field Office, the agency had expressed interest in these parishes, citing concerns that extremists might become involved in the run-up to the next general election.
President Trump seized on this information, questioning the FBI’s motives and wondering why any Catholic would support a Democrat.
“It’s horrible. What they’re doing is horrible,” he continued. “From the very first day that we take back the White House, from Crooked Joe Biden and his radical band of lunatics, I believe, we’re going to have our four greatest years in the history of our country.”
To counter this alleged extremist threat of “radical traditionalist Catholics,” the memo, which was signed by at least five officials in the Richmond Field Office, recommended placing confidential informants in Catholic parishes ahead of the 2024 election.
Last July, FBI Director Christopher Wray expressed shock at the memo during a congressional hearing, acknowledging the concerns raised by Republicans and Catholics.
The leaked memo led to an outcry from Republicans and Catholics alike. Republicans characterized the discovery as the latest development in the weaponization of the federal government against conservatives. Bishop Barry Knestout of the Diocese of Richmond called the memo a “threat to religious liberty.”
The CatholicVote president reiterated the urgency of defeating President Biden, a Catholic, saying the president is the “Trojan horse of far-left ideology” and pointing to his targeting of Catholics. Mr. Burch also pointed to the Biden administration’s “radically pro-abortion stance” and support for “child-killing drugs” on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade.
“Joe Biden is the Trojan horse of far-left ideology: presented to American Catholics as a caring, faithful, and patriotic grandfather,” the CatholicVote president said. “Yet his age, mental acuity, and failures are hurting millions of Americans including Catholic families everywhere.”
New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation presidential primary is imminent. On the GOP side, only President Trump and Ms. Haley remain, as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended his campaign Sunday.
From The Epoch Times
