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\n Former President Donald Trump addressed evangelical Christian voters at a key rally in Washington on Saturday, seeking to bolster their support as his legal troubles mount and rivals target his character.\n <\/p>\n \n Trump told attendees at the Faith and Freedom Coalition’s Majority Policy Conference that he believed there was “still a vital role” for the federal government in restricting abortion. But he did not specify what kind of federal legislation he would push for or support if he were again president.\n <\/p>\n \n Trump has repeatedly sidestepped the question of whether he would sign a federal abortion ban if it reached his desk and, like many of his 2024 GOP rivals, has struggled to resolve the political issue.\n <\/p>\n \n The Faith & Freedom conference kicked off a summer of “cattle calls” in which the GOP camp will audition in front of key audiences ahead of the 2024 presidential primaries. Most of Trump’s rivals spoke Friday, with several , both direct and subtle, to the former president.\n <\/p>\n \n But Trump had the main talking point of the conference, delivering what was billed as his keynote speech. It was his first in-person appearance at a 2024 presidential candidate meeting since announcing his candidacy. For previous events, including Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst’s “Roast and Ride” earlier this month, Trump had appeared via video message.\n <\/p>\n \n The conference also provided a window into a critical constituency in the race for the Republican nomination: evangelical voters. Those voters play a particularly important role in the Iowa caucuses and South Carolina primary \u2014 the first and third contests on the 2024 GOP calendar.\n <\/p>\n \n Trump, speaking on the first anniversary of the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, touted his appointment of three of the justices who voted with the majority to eliminate federal protections against abortion.\n <\/p>\n \n “Exactly one year ago today, these justices were the pivotal votes in the landmark Supreme Court decision that ended the constitutional atrocity known as Roe v. Wade,” he said.\n <\/p>\n \n “With Roe v. Wade, you had none, you had no power,” Trump said. “Now we’ve given pro-life people enormous power to negotiate something that’s happy, that’s good for everybody.”\n <\/p>\n \n For Trump, who a CNN poll last week found remains the clear favorite for the 2024 GOP endorsement with 47 percent support among Republican and GOP-leaning voters nationwide, much for over 26% for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former Vice President Mike. Pence’s 9%: The biggest threat he currently faces could be a series of legal battles, including his federal indictment on charges related to his alleged mishandling of classified documents.\n <\/p>\n \n Trump has made this accusation a focus of recent events, addressing it at length at rallies. In an interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier, he offered a host of new justifications for keeping classified material after leaving the White House and refusing to turn it over to the National Archives and Records Administration.\n <\/p>\n \n For the rest of the field, Friday and Saturday’s meeting represented an opportunity to chip away at Trump’s support, or at least define themselves in front of a significant constituency in case GOP voters ultimately abandon the former president.\n <\/p>\n \n Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who also served as U.N. ambassador under Trump, used her speech Saturday to mark the first anniversary of the Dobbs decision, which overturned Roe v. Wade.\n <\/p>\n \n Haley said she believes there should be a federal law regulating abortion, but acknowledged again that Republicans face a major challenge in enacting hardline restrictions across the country in due to the lack of support in Congress.\n <\/p>\n \n “We have to humanize this situation. We must respect the fact that everyone has a story. And we have one goal: to make sure we save as many babies as possible and protect as many mothers as possible,\u201d the former governor said.\n <\/p>\n \n
\n CNN<\/span>
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