Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis face off for evangelical votes: Washington Photos of the Week

September 16, 2023 08:58 AM

Former President Donald Trump returned to Washington D.C. this week voluntarily, following his arraignment in August on federal criminal charges related to efforts to overturn the 2020 election and the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol.

The former president appeared at a pair of gatherings Friday for socially conservative voters seeking to shore up support with an influential voting bloc as he fends off four simultaneous criminal prosecutions.

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Trump rattled off his accomplishments as president, including nominating three Supreme Court justices who overturned nearly 50 years of abortion access precedent by reversing Roe v. Wade last year.

“It’s no wonder the far-left lunatics, perverts, and criminals are getting desperate to stop our movement by any means necessary. They are really trying to stop us, as you perhaps have read,” Trump said during the closing address at the Concerned Women for America Leadership Summit at the Capitol Hilton.

Trump then traveled two miles across the district to address the Family Research Council’s Pray Vote Stand summit at the Omni Shoreham Hotel. He announced he’d launch a special task force if elected in 2024 to investigate “political prisoners” who have been persecuted by President Joe Biden’s administration.

“No president has ever fought for Christians as hard as I have,” Trump told the crowd.

Trump was the closing speaker at the two conservative events where Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) also tried to make his case for the White House by promoting religious freedoms.

At the Pray Vote Stand summit, DeSantis reminded evangelical voters of his efforts to keep churches open during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“There were government elected officials forcibly closing churches and denying people their right to worship as they see fit,” DeSantis said.

“Meanwhile, the liquor stores are open, the strip clubs are open,” he said. “Not in the state of Florida. We didn’t do that.”

Trump is the dominant front-runner in the GOP presidential primary, netting 57% support in the RealClearPolitics polling average, followed by DeSantis at a distant second with 13% and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy at 7%.

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Here’s a look at scenes from Washington during the week of Sept. 11, 2023, captured by Washington Examiner photographer Graeme Jennings.

Trump gets a blessing from ‘Concerned Women for America‘

Former President Donald Trump takes part in a prayer after speaking at the Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee Conference in Washington D.C., on Friday, September 15, 2023.

DeSantis vies for votes from social conservatives in D.C.

Presidential candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at the Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee Conference in Washington D.C., on Friday, September 15, 2023.

GOP Sen. Mitt Romney calls it quits

Republican Utah Sen. Mitt Romney announced he will not seek re-election. Romney called for a “new generation of leaders” while also criticizing both U.S. President Joe Biden and former U.S. President Donald Trump.

Jennifer Granholm testifies about electric vehicles after her own EV mishap

Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm testified on Capitol Hill, Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023, before a House Science, Space, and Technology Committee. During the hearing, Granholm came under fire regarding an incident that occurred in Grovetown, Georgia, during Granholm's four-day trip to promote electric vehicles. A Georgia family called 911 after Granholm's staff used a nonelectric vehicle to block an EV charging station outside a local Walmart while she was still en route. Granholm was also accused of making false statements to Congress about her stock ownership by Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-NY. — Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm testified on Capitol Hill, Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023, before a House Science, Space, and Technology Committee. During the hearing, Granholm came under fire regarding an incident that occurred in Grovetown, Georgia, during Granholm’s four-day trip to promote electric vehicles. A Georgia family called 911 after Granholm’s staff used a nonelectric vehicle to block an EV charging station outside a local Walmart while she was still en route. Granholm was also accused of making false statements to Congress about her stock ownership by Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-NY.

Big Tech leaders descend on the Senate for Sen. Chuck Schumer’s AI summit

Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk arrives on Capitol Hill to attend an “AI Insight Forum” on Tuesday, September 13, 2023, in Washington, DC. Lawmakers convened with some of the top business leaders in the artificial intelligence sector, to seek advice on potential legislation within the next year that will encourage the development of artificial intelligence, while also containing its risks.

Microsoft founder Bill Gates arrives on Capitol Hill to attend an “AI Insight Forum” on Tuesday, September 13, 2023, in Washington, DC. Lawmakers convened with some of the top business leaders in the artificial intelligence sector, to seek advice on potential legislation within the next year that will encourage the development of artificial intelligence, while also containing its risks.

Capitol lawmakers trained to administer the NARCAN opioid overdose reversal drug

Perry Diaz, a second-year medical student at Georgetown University, holds up a Narcan spray device at an overdose prevention training event on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, September 13, 2023. Naloxone, more commonly known as the brand Narcan, is an opioid antagonist medication used to reverse opioid overdoses and restore normal breathing within minutes.