NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Former President Donald Trump spoke Friday in Nashville at the Road to Majority Policy Conference at the Gaylord Opryland, where he mentioned his perspectives on the Jan. 6 hearings and the need for winning key political seats nationwide.
This is run by the Faith and Family Coalition, and the event is being advertised as "the nation's premiere pro-faith pro-family event." Trump was previously set to make a virtual appearance at an event in the area a few weeks back, but it was canceled.
"We are all committed to the same key beliefs," Trump said during his nearly 90-minute speech. "Our founding documents aren’t a source of shame but pride. We know the lifeblood of a free society is free speech and we don’t have it much anymore. We know religious freedom is the foundation of freedom. We have to put America first."
View the full speech below:
Trump continued on, talking about some of his policies during his one-term presidency and the need for those with Judaeo-Christian values needing to win seats in Congress and statehouses.
He took a turn when discussing the Jan. 6 hearings, which are currently taking place this week as an investigation into what happened the day of the insurrection at the Capitol. Trump said he didn't consider those there that day as insurrectionists, he compared his crowd size on the mall to that of Martin Luther King Jr's during his "I Have a Dream" speech.
"What you’re seeing is a total lie — a total fraud," Trump said. "That might have been the calmest speech I have ever made. They have their narrative, and they know we are leading in every single poll. These are vicious people just like crazy Liz Cheney. They are refusing to release the videos of the transcripts. They are beautiful transcripts. They can call it science or whatever. They have a thing called disinformation."
He pushed the topic further, saying he blamed former Vice President Mike Pence for not doing something about the 2020 presidential election to overturn the results. He dubbed him as a "human conveyor belt."
"Mike Pence had a chance to be great and historic — just like Bill Barr and the rest of these weak people. Mike didn’t have the courage to act," he said.
Trump sidestepped Jan. 6 to talk about other topics, like the Russia-Ukraine war, relations with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, the Iran Nuclear Deal and the Mueller report.
He asked the audience if they would like to see him run for president again, which ignited cheers from the crowd.
"I have done a lot for religion," he said.
The list of speakers for the weekend include Sen. Marsha Blackburn, Sen. Lindsey Graham, Newt Gingrich, Nikki Haley and Mike Pompeo.
"Designed to forge a path toward a pro-family majority, the conference will equip attendees with the knowledge and connections they need to drive engagement and voter turnout. This year’s timely gathering will accelerate conservatives further down the road to the majority in the 2022 midterm elections," the website said.
Metro police said they do not expect any traffic issues related to the former president's visit.
