Faith in Trump dominates annual gathering of religious conservatives

DeSantis did not mention Trump by name, but he did take veiled shots at him over losses Republicans have sustained over the past three election cycles as Trump was helping lead the GOP’s efforts.

“None of this matters if we don’t win,” DeSantis said. “There is no substitute for victory. We cannot continue with the culture of losing where we lose winnable races.”

Never Back Down, a pro-DeSantis super PAC, also framed his remarks as anti-Trump, even when DeSantis did not directly mention him by name.

Following his speech, the group tweeted that the crowd booed “Trump for siding with woke Disney!” The crowd did boo when DeSantis talked about Disney, but he did not once mention Trump.

After his speech, DeSantis held a separate meeting with a small group of pastors. In the meeting, which was branded a roundtable, DeSantis briefly re-emphasized many of the points he made in his speech.

During a private dinner Thursday night to talk about conservative-based criminal justice reforms, there were people in the room who were openly annoyed about DeSantis not supporting the First Step Act, Trump-era legislation that focused on lowering re-incarceration rates. Last month, DeSantis made waves when he told conservative pundit Ben Shapiro that he would repeal Trump’s signature criminal justice reform, saying it “allowed dangerous people who have reoffended and really, really hurt a number of people.”

The private dinner was co-hosted by Rep. Doug Collins, a former Georgia Republican who sponsored the First Step Act when in Congress and now works on criminal justice reform issues.

“No one who spoke mentioned DeSantis by name, but there was clearly disappointment in the room,” a person who was at the dinner told NBC News. “And there was talk about those headlines.”

It’s a reference to the series of stories that were written after DeSantis told Shapiro he would repeal the proposal.

On Saturday, a public safety panel featuring Ja’ron Smith, a former Trump administration official, focused heavily on the First Step Act, a signal it has not lost support with conservative criminal justice reformers. 

“We were able to pass legislation called the First Step Act,” he told the crowd, “which was laser focused on reducing recidivism in our federal prisons.”

Trump himself no longer vocally touts the legislation. Other candidates, including former Vice President Mike Pence, have said it’s time to “rethink” the law. As the legislation has become a topic of conversation in the Republican primary, Trump has not chimed in, including not responding to an NBC News request for comment.

Collins told NBC News that DeSantis “sat next to me” on the House Judiciary Committee and voted for it. DeSantis voted for a version of the bill in May 2018. The final version passed in December that year, after DeSantis had already been elected governor.

Collins said that candidates, including DeSantis, who have started questioning the bill have not reached out to him. The bill passed the House in 2018 on a 360-59 bipartisan vote, including support from DeSantis.

“If any of them want to talk to me about it, I’m happy to talk to them,” Collins said Saturday night of presidential candidates who might have concerns.

DeSantis’ campaign did not return a request seeking comment about why he no longer supports the proposal after voting for it.

Most other presidential candidates who spoke at the conference this week focused on their records and plans if elected, generally not mentioning Trump or any other candidate in the field.

Common themes were parental rights in education, making sure the federal criminal justice system is not “weaponized” — a term that has been used consistently by Republicans after Trump was indicted for allegedly keeping classified documents from his time in the White House — and abortion, which has long been one of the biggest policy fights for the Faith and Freedom Coalition.

“We are creating a culture of life in America,” South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott said. “And that is a really good thing.”

Former Trump administration ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said she was the “most pro-life governor in the country” when she was South Carolina governor. 

Even candidates who want the party to move on from Trump tried to raise the issue delicately. Larry Elder, a conservative radio host who ran for governor as part of the 2021 effort to recall Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom, says he still likes Trump, but does not think he is electable.

“Have you lost friends because of Donald Trump?” he asked. “Are you walking on eggshells at work because of Donald Trump? Do you have strained relationships because of Donald Trump?

Elder was making the case that swing-voters will never come around to Trump, and that Republican voters “have to realize they need to coalesce around a candidate not Trump, but has the same America First policies.”

But there was an overwhelming sentiment that those legal woes not only didn’t concern Trump’s most ardent supporters, but those who challenge him will be jeered and mocked.

“Chris Christie could not be here, I apologize,” joked David Brodie, a commentator with the Christian Broadcasting Network, when opening a panel about media bias.

After roughly 15 minutes, he turned to the same laugh line to close out the panel.

“Chris Christie says hello,” he said, concluding the event.