Donald Trump visits Liberty University; promises to protect Christianity

(Photo: REUTERS/Joshua Roberts)U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is shown on a big screen as he speaks at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, January 18, 2016. He also vowed, “If I’m president you’re going to see Merry Christmas in department stores, believe me”.

With less than two weeks before the Iowa Caucus on February 1, Donald Trump trails only rival Ted Cruz in the latest Des Moines Register/Bloomberg Politics Iowa Poll.

The timing of Trump’s visit prompted protests from a handful of students, angry that the GOP presidential front-runner had been invited to deliver the address on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Nevertheless, Trump told the crowd at Liberty University he plans to be a champion of the faith if he becomes president.

As the author of best-selling business book “The Art of the Deal”, Trump said current American leaders are “incompetent” in negotiations, and that he does not hold it against leaders of countries, such as Mexico and Japan, to cut lop-sided deals with the United States, if “they can get away with it”.

He went on to reference “other religions”, which he said are “banding together”, suggesting Christians should do the same.

“We’re going to protect Christianity”.

He said being politically correct “takes too much time”, and that “a lot of it is just wrong”. As Trump was speaking, Russell Moore, the Southern Baptist leader, issued a stream of disapproving tweets: “Trading in the gospel of Jesus Christ for political power is not liberty but slavery”, Moore wrote. Trump, he said, “cannot be bought-he is not a puppet on a string like many other candidates”. “She told me of how her father was loving and generous in his personal relationships with others but he spoke the truth no matter how unpopular it was”, said Falwell. “Very bad things are happening”.

“I think the fact that he’s putting forth an effort to relate to us is something decent”, said Nacci Palloto, a sophomore at the university.

So add this to the list of surprises: On Monday, the thrice-married Republican frontrunner, who described himself as pro-choice as recently as 2000, traveled to the heart of conservative evangelism only to be greeted as a conquering hero.