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Donald Trump vows to defend Christian heritage at Values Voters Summit

Jardine Malado September 11, 2016 10:44 PM EST

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump promised the attendees of the 2016 Values Voter Summit in Washington D.C. last Friday that he will protect the Christian heritage of America. Trump reiterated that he will repeal the Johnson Amendment, which prohibits non-profit organizations from publicly endorsing political candidates.

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump speaks at the Cleveland Arts and Social Sciences Academy in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S., Sept. 8, 2016. | REUTERS/Mike Segar

"In a Trump administration, our Christian heritage will be cherished and protected like you've never seen before," Trump declared. "There is no more charitable group in this country than Christians," he continued.

"The Johnson amendment has blocked our pastors and ministers and others from speaking their minds from their own pulpits. If they want to talk about Christianity, if they want to talk about politics, they're unable to do so," he added. Trump fully intends to get rid of this law.

Trump also vowed to end Common Core and said that he will campaign to persuade the states to re-allocate their budgets for school choice programs.

He criticized the Obama administration for not allowing the entry of enough Christian refugees from Syria. He also brought up Hillary Clinton's email scandal and got loud cheers from the crowd when he declared, "Hillary Clinton is unfit to be president." At one point, the crowd reportedly chanted "Lock her (Clinton) up!"

Celebrities such as Jon Voight and Kirk Cameron also gave their speeches at the summit hosted by the Family Research Council. Reality TV stars Benham Brothers and two members of the "Duck Dynasty" were also present at the summit.

Trump seemed to be well-received at the summit this year. Dylan Miller, a college student who attended the event, said that Trump "doesn't seem maniacal" compared to his previous appearances. Sarah Ocker, another student, said that she agreed with a lot of what Trump said but mentioned that she is still thinking about voting for Trump.

Last year, Trump only finished fifth at the Values Voters Summit straw poll. He was booed at last year's summit when he referred to Marco Rubio as a clown.

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