June 22, 2016
Hate Group Leader Concerned Trump Won't Be Tough Enough Defending 'Religious Freedom'
READ TIME: 1 MIN.
Presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump received mixed reviews for his meeting with evangelical leaders Tuesday with anti-LGBT hate group leader Tim Wildmon of American Family Association (AFA) offering the loudest criticism.
Responses to Donald Trump's meeting in New York City on Tuesday, where he gathered evangelical leaders in an attempt to garner support from the group who largely supported the candidacy of his former rival Ted Cruz, were a mixed bag.
Phil Burress of the Ohio-based conservative group Citizens for Community Values, "left encouraged" after his private meeting with Trump. According to an eblast sent out by his group Wednesday, Burress found Trump "to be engaging and kind." �
At the same time, Burress was still deeply concerned about the billionaire's commitment to what he is saying. �"What he says about our issues between now and election day are�critical," Burress said.
Less enthusiastic was Tim Wildmon of the anti-LGBT American Family Association, who praised Trump's commitment to appoint conservative justices to the United States Supreme Court, but criticized his commitment to an anti-LGBT agenda.
"Trump's weakness is that he did not clearly state his views in answer to [..]when religious freedom and the LGBT movement come into conflict, other than to say that these matters will be decided by the courts," Wildmon noted. "He repeatedly said he was for religious freedom and his fallback position was that he would appoint judges who would defend religious freedom."
Despite his criticism, Wildmon found Trump to be "an enigma, a man still searching for spiritual answers in his life."
"To use a sports word, I think he's coachable," Wildmon concluded