Anger Grows After Donald Trump Appears To Question Mitt Romney’s Faith: ‘Are You Sure He’s A Mormon?’

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GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at a raucous Salt Lake City rally Friday, March 18, 2016. Photo: Gephardt Daily /Patrick Benedict

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – March 20, 2016 (Gephardt Daily) — Critics of presidential hopeful Donald Trump regularly denounce him for what they see as his bombastic rhetoric.

And at this point in his campaign, it’s not exactly breaking news that his style strikes many as pompous, hostile and confrontational.

But some things Trump said Friday to listeners at his Salt Lake City rally still had people incensed the next afternoon.

“Do I love the Mormons? OK? Do I love the Mormons?” Trump said to listeners in the city that is home to the worldwide headquarters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

“I have many friends who live in Salt Lake,” Trump said. “… I have lot of friends who are Mormons. By the way, Mitt Romney is not one of them…. Are you sure he’s a Mormon? Are we sure?”

Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump speaking at a Salt Lake City campaign rally Friday, March 19, 2016. Photo: Gephardt Daily
Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump speaking at a Salt Lake City campaign rally Friday March 19 2016 Photo Gephardt Daily

Trump’s questioning the faith of Romney — a former governor of Massachusetts and Republican nominee for the 2012 presidential race — was a topic of heated debate on Saturday afternoon at a Provo rally for Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, also running for the Republican presidential nomination, and for Utah Sen. Mike Lee.

“I need to say this, OK?” said Utah Lt. Governor Spencer Cox at the rally. “Last night, Donald Trump came to our state. Last night, Donald Trump did something and said something I never thought I’d see a candidate for president do and say, especially in the Republican party.

Utah Lt. Governor Spencer Cox blasts Donald Trump for questioning Mitt Romney's Mormon faith during a Provo campaign rally for Sen. Ted Cruz Saturday, March 19, 2016. Photo: Patrick Benedict
Utah Lt Governor Spencer Cox blasts Donald Trump for questioning Mitt Romneys Mormon faith during a Provo campaign rally for Sen Ted Cruz Saturday March 19 2016 Photo Gephardt Daily

“He was challenging Mitt Romney, and he was questioning Mitt Romney’s Mormon faith,” Cox said. “Think about that for a second: A person running for public office in our party think’s that if you question his politics, he can question your religion.

“I have a message for you from three million people in Utah, Mr. Trump: That’s not how we roll in Utah, and that’s not how we roll in the United States.”

Cox, a member of the LDS Church, also paraphrased a passage from “The Book of Mormon,” which members of his faith hold as divine scripture.

“I know that Donald Trump spends a lot of time in 2 Corinthians,” Cox said, referencing a book of the New Testament.

“Some of us here in Utah have another scripture. It’s found in 2 Nephi, and it says something about ‘Woe be unto the liars.’ And I’ll leave it at that.”

Glenn Beck, a conservative radio show host, 2000 LDS Church convert and a onetime Provo resident, also talked Saturday’s political rally about the same religious topic, “The Book of Mormon.” Beck said he believes every word of it.

“That book spells out in great detail what things look like before the Lord comes back, and he gave us that book so we can protect freedom here,” Beck said. “He also gave us that book so we would know what to do at the time. You either believe that or you don’t.”

And for those who do and who are members of the LDS Church, and hold the male-only priesthood, Beck issued a call to action.

“… then let the priesthood lead,” Beck said. “Priesthood holders, stand up and take your staff. You are the guardian at the gate.”

Beck told all his listeners he will vote from Republican nominee Cruz, but his priesthood statement was not meant as a call for priesthood holders to to vote for Cruz.

“It has nothing to do with who you should back,” he told the LDS priesthood holders who were present. “You bring that to the Lord. That’s his decision with you and the priesthood.”

Update

The Trump/Romney/religion saga continued Sunday, when the candidate was questioned on ABC’s “This Week.”

Asked by host George Stephanopoulos about why he kept challenging people’s religious faith, Trump said he was joking, but doesn’t care how people take the comments.

The exchange:

Stephanopoulos: “You know, after the pope spoke out about you, you said that no leader should question another person’s faith, so why do you keep on doing it?”

Trump: “Well, with Mitt Romney — first of all, with Mitt Romney, I was saying to the Mormons — the Mormons are very smart people, and I said it in a joking way, but they can take it any way — you can take it any way you want. The Mormons are very smart people. I know many Mormons.

“I don’t think Mitt Romney is a smart person. I never have thought he was a smart person. But the Mormons are very smart people.

“So I said, ‘Are you sure he’s a Mormon?’ And I’m not going to change it, because I think Mitt Romney has proven to be not a smart person.”

7 COMMENTS

  1. “I have a message for you from three million people in Utah, Mr. Trump: That’s not how we roll in Utah, and that’s not how we roll in the United States.”

    Robert C. Oaks, General Authority (2000 – 2009) and first cousin of Elder Dallin H. Oaks
    JUST ENDORSED DONALD TRUMP FOR PRESIDENT

    he can see through Mitt Romney’s deception.

    Frankly, I agree with Trump — Is Mitt even a Mormon? He certainly isn’t acting like one (deceiving his own people, like a Wolf in Sheep’s clothing) Mitt’s worse than Obama, because we know Obama is a wolf, now Mitt poses as a sheep, speaking for the Wolfs. This is really bad. Shameful!

    To the People in Utah! Stop listening to Mitt Romney, he is the fraud and phoney, NOT Trump!

    The Book of Mormon also speaks about Secret Combinations – Mitt Romney appears to be participating in these. Do NOT be deceived. The evil people wish to take Trump down, Trump wishes to SAVE this country. Wake up! Ya’ll are fat and lazy! Read the truth about what is gong on. Watch endgame documentary on Youtube.

    Trump is the REAL DEAl —

    Mormons for TRUMP — All the Way!

    Shame on You Mitt Romney!

    Shame on You Glenn Beck! (under investigation for stating on air he would stab Trump — shameful!)

  2. Trump wasn’t questioning Romney’s “faith” nearly as much as his behavior. Mormons are generally assumed to be well-behaved and not manipulative and backstabbing as Romney recently showed himself to be. Romney assumes he will have a big Mormon following who will vote against Trump because he asked them to. Hopefully Mormons will be smarter than this. Glad Romney didn’t win after all. He is now a Harry Reid mormon. Good job Mitt.

  3. Turns out Mitt Romney is just another Harry Reid…an embarrassment to mormons. What a buffoon! So glad he didn’t win the presidency after all. Way to go Mitt.

  4. Whatever the GOP establishment tries to dump Donald Trump, it’s not going to work. Just like millions of other Trumps supporters I am going to just disappear back into the woodwork if either political party plays dirty. Then from I hear from my Twitter account of thousands of others, they are also going to walk away and not vote at all in a fraudulent, twisted process. We should have realized that the whole thing was a set-up for the Presidency and had been fixed from the beginning. The parties just want to control the US population and with promises they cannot keep unless Bernie Sanders wants to bankrupt the country, and not much better is Hillary Clinton. They cannot allow Trump to win, as he will disrupt the nice, comfortable life style, the perks, the Special Privileges and from the powerful and influential people who don’t give a damn of the working people.

    The Washington political establishment is now in panic mode Not because they are afraid of any one individual or potential nominee, but because they are afraid of losing their own political influence as the US people are furious at such things as Omnibus budget of $2.2 Trillion dollars, with the GOP Cartel not cutting back on funds for King Obama’s latest initiatives as financially catering to the now estimated 15 million illegal aliens, the so called Affordable Care Act and other programs that should have held back.

    The corporate entities have already aligned themselves with lying Cruz and former Governor of Ohio Kasick? The American people, who are FREE THINKING and love liberty, should not take MY word for it but read the unethical and resurfaced history of both these men which must include. Hillary Clinton. The act is I have already been barred from Corporate Social Networks as Facebook, Disgus, as I can only guess that I was getting under their skin. A whole list of newspapers as well, have stopped my authorship of words, they don’t like and prefer Americans should not read.

    Once upon a time DC was filled with well meaning individual who deem they are doing the right thing, but far too many have lost their way after years in the corrupt halls of Washington. Lawmakers pay more awareness to the special interests clusters, and powerful lobbyists who arrange the SUPER PAC’s who buy in to writing checks for their next campaigns than listening to their constituents back home towns who originally t sent them to Capitol in the first place.

    This dangerous power vacuum has fueled frustration and created an entirely new breed of disenfranchised voters who are fed up with the status quo. These are real people, their anger is palpable, and it’s not going away anytime soon. It’s shown by the increasing numbers of new voters, known as the silent majority, but lately are getting louder.

    The American people feel betrayed by Congress and that is why they have turned to top businessman and CEO Donald Trump. A mounting number of Americans are more provoked by this feeling of exasperation than any individual political agenda. The rise of Professional politicians has completely shifted the familiar political archetype of just Democrat versus Republican to an outsider. Today most Americans look at the federal government as suppressing their rights and not able to speak out. All they see are years of futile policies that have made life far tougher for them and their families, as the political class seems ignorant of the growing poverty, unemployment and the ailing money-swallowing Obamacare health care system and Barack Obama unleashing millions of illegal aliens into the country against Article 1 of the Constitution. 27 million working-age Americans are out of work, However, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders intend to grant working permits to 5 million illegal aliens. Both Cruz and Kasick are weak on illegal immigration, but since Trumps statement of building the wall, Cruz has mentioned his intention to construct a fence, that is easy to scale.

    THE ONLY PERSONAGE I TRULY TRUST IS DONALD TRUMP

    Americans only have to look at the nominees for the presidency of the United States. Hillary Clinton to be assessed must go back to her first appearance as an attorney: A LOT OF PEOPLE HAS BEEN ASKING…WHAT ARE HILLARY CLINTON ACCOMPLISHMENTS?

    1974: She served on the impeachment staff in Washington DC during Watergate and was FIRED from that job for ethics violations, having found her to be a liar and a shady lawyer.

    Early-80’s: Successfully defended a CHILD predator from going to jail because of the “Soiled Panties” of the victim was improperly handled, and she’s on audio tape laughing about it.

    2002: Claims poverty because she and her husband are in debt to defense attorneys to the tune of FIVE MILLION DOLLARS for all Bill Clinton’s affairs and impeachment.

    20011: Asks husband Bill, as President to pardon her brother Tony, to keep him from going to prison for fraud.

    2012: As Secretary of State, allows FOUR AMERICANS to because she refused to grant their request for extra security leading up to the 9/11 on the Benghazi, Libyan embassy.

    2013 New York Times exposes her charity (Clinton Global Initiative) as a money laundering scheme. With millions of dollars spirited away from the foundation making Madam Hillary’s life and Bill’s a luxury experience, Their is a long list of foreign countries who have poured into the foundation, for supposedly for corporate and industrial speeches.

    2014: Avoids paying significant income taxes by moving her assets to blind trusts.

    2014: Major donor to her campaign going to prison for fraud and she keeps the money.

    Don’t believe their any credence, which Hillary Clinton is not in the pocket of Wall Street and big business.

    SO WHAT IS TED CRUZ OFFERING?

    In July 2015, a network of four related ‘keep the Promise’ political action committees reported raising $38 million to support Ted Cruz’s presidential campaign.

    New York Times- July 31st. 2015: ” More than 95% of total contributions to Super PAC’s supporting TED Cruz came from donations of $1 million or more than any other candidate.

    In August 2015, the New York Times confirmed that hedge fund investor Robert Mercer had contributed $11 million to the Pro-Cruz PACs-the largest donation amount from a single person within this election cycle.

    Ted Cruz is a part of the GOP Cartel and likes to believe he is anti-establishment? Than think again…??
    Cruz worked for President George W. Bush, an epitome of the GOP Establishment.
    Cruz pushed for HB-1 visas, so thereby professional legal immigrants to work, instead of Americans.
    Cruz Indebted to a big money donor, Lawyer Dathan Voelter working with billionaires to raise $31 million dollars to extend his campaign.

    Senator Cruz of Texas began his race for the Whitehouse by stealing votes from Ben Carson, by cleverly informing Carson’s voters and slyly sending out mailers that he was dropping out and going home. Cruz wife is a director in Goldman Sachs, of which Cruz collected $1 million towards his campaign; he also received a nice nest egg from extreme Socialist George Soros, who is anti-American.

    In conclusion, its not just the poor or uneducated, I personally have a PhD, and if you view my Twitter account I have a collection of celebrities, commentators and even politicians and blue and white collar and people who are black Americans, Asian Americans, causations, Hispanic Americans and millions of others who are sick and tired with ‘Business as Usual.” The oral garbage doesn’t work anymore.

  5. I do not think it is appropriate for one person to question another’s religion. However, it is also not appropriate to call people names, sling mud and use deception to manipulate the truth. All things the Republican party has done…including Mitt Romney. His recent actions are very disappointing and beg the question…what would Christ say about the way you are behaving. Where much is given, much is required. That includes behavior…and politics There is no doubt that Mitt Romney is a Mormon, he just isn’t acting very Christ like at the moment. Bad behavior by one (Donald Trump) does not justify a bad response by those who clearly know better. When you publicly declare you are LDS, please act like it. Otherwise the rest of us have to try and explain your actions to those who are not blessed with the gospel in their lives.

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