Trump Doubles Down On Charge Biden Would ‘Hurt God’ As Biden Courts Muslim Voters

TOPLINE

As former Vice President Joe Biden sought to forge interfaith bridges at a fundraiser on Monday, pledging to treat Islam “with respect,” President Trump defended his previous statement that Biden is “against god” at a White House briefing, citing his policy concessions to Bernie Sanders.

KEY FACTS

Crucial Quote

Biden has made faith central to his campaign, often telling voters he wants to restore the “soul of America.” In an op-ed for Religion News Services in December, Biden wrote “my faith teaches me that we should be a nation that once again welcomes the stranger and shows a preferential option for the poor,” adding that Trump “doesn’t understand these things, because he… doesn’t know what it means to live for or believe in something bigger than himself.”

Big Number

While Trump sees himself as the clear religious alternative to Biden, the American public doesn’t seem to share his view. A Pew Research poll in March found that just 35% of voters view Trump as very or somewhat religious, while 63% said he is not too or not at all religious. Biden, by contrast, was viewed as religious by 55% of U.S. adults and not religious by just 39% in a Pew Research poll in February.

What To Watch For

Some Biden backers have launched an effort to win over conscientious evangelical voters. A group called Vote Common Good has forged a partnership with the Lincoln Project, a group of anti-Trump Republicans backing Biden and Democratic Senate candidates, to persuade white Catholics and Evangelicals in six critical battleground to support Biden.