Trump scores a hit at Faith and Freedom Conference

Former President Donald J. Trump headlined the Road to a Majority Conference of the Faith and Freedom Coalition yesterday. And by all but the most negatively biased accounts, he scored several hits.

Trump makes a speech

As the Faith and Freedom Coalition’s account made clear, Trump declared his allegiance to “our country and our Creator.”

During his speech Trump made several definite promises, saying he would, among other things, crack down on illegal immigration, and secure the southern border with troops. Breitbart had further details, including a plan to reinstate the Title 42 authority to deport those carrying diseases. If COVID is no longer a concern, many other diseases are. Though he did not name any, clinicians in Texas and Louisiana especially have known about the increased incidence of tuberculosis and infectious leprosy, also known as Hansen’s Disease.

Other measures Trump pledged to take include:

• Eliminate automatic birthright citizenship by executive order, a thing he promised four weeks ago.
• Reinstate the Safe Third Country Agreements, which required migrants fleeing persecution to seek asylum in the first country they traverse. These agreements specified certain exceptions, as this Canadian government site makes clear. He would also reinstate the Remain in Mexico policy, and prosecute people for being in the country illegally.
• “Build even more border wall,” presumably to close the gaps President Biden left. On his first day in office, Biden ordered wall contractors to down tools and go home.
• Use Title 42 to curtail, not only the spread of contagion, but also child trafficking.
• Direct that the “core national defense mission is to protect American sovereignty.”: This includes bringing troops home and redeploying them along the border, especially the southern.

Controversial elements

He also pledged to use his authority under the Alien Enemies Act to remove “known or suspected” members of criminal gangs and “drug dealers.” (Unlike the Alien Friends and Sedition Acts, the Alien Enemies Act, as amended, remains in force.)

But by far his most controversial proposal was to deny entry to anyone professing communist or Marxist ideologies. Stephen Miller, founder of America First Legal, explained Trump’s authority to make and enforce such a ban.

See also this tweet:

Today Trump got some good news on the polling front. Newsmax and NBC News both released stories showing that the former President has widened his dominance of the Republican field. He leads with more than fifty percent of the vote, so that no one can catch him. Tellingly, he has done so at the expense of Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.).

Several conference attendees, when interviewed, gave him their endorsements.