Trump's religious dealmaking pays dividends
The president-elect shrewdly courted evangelical leaders during his presidential run, and that transactional style appears likely to carry into the White House.
By KATIE GLUECK 12/07/16 05:07 AM EST
Nine days before the election, Donald Trump was backstage at a rally in Warren, Michigan, listening to a fiery South Carolina preacher-turned-top surrogate prayerfully predicting victory.
After pastor Mark Burns finished relaying religiously hued reassurances in a private conversation ahead of Trump’s speech, the then-candidate turned to Burns’ wife and offered his own, classically Trumpian expression of faith: He handed her a crucifix necklace made, in typical Trump style, of gold.
“We don’t need a religious president,” said Burns, who was touched by the gift and recounted the story in a recent interview. “We need a president who can build relationships with people.”
And for the New York businessman who prides himself on deal-making aptitude, building relationships — often by making policy promises that go well beyond what previous, more traditionally conservative candidates have pledged — has defined his outreach to the network of previously wary Christian leaders who helped him win the presidency. And now, that transactional cycle seems likely to shape his White House agenda on issues of interest to the religious right.
http://www.politico.com/story/2016/12/trump-religious-dealmaking-dividends-232277
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