Former Fox News host Kimberly Guilfoyle on Monday rallied Catholics to support President Trump, citing his commitment to anti-abortion and religious liberty causes as the “single issue” that should drive their votes.
Guilfoyle, one of Trump’s top fundraisers and Donald Trump Jr.’s girlfriend, in the past week emerged as one of the campaign’s most vocal ambassadors to the religious voters. Touting her Catholic upbringing and education as bona fides, the controversial media personality has positioned herself as a critic of abortion, and “liberal politicians trying to shut down churches and other houses of worship across the country by giving free to the rioters and looters in the streets.”
“I couldn’t be more proud as a devout Catholic myself to be able to spread the message and the word of God in this country and thanks to President Trump, who has ensured our religious liberty and freedom like no other president before him,” Guilfoyle said at a Catholics for Trump event on Monday.
Guilfoyle’s push against church closures comes as her ex-husband, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, has issued orders restricting worship in most of the churches in the state. Newsom in early July issued a singing ban and in mid-July required that churches hold their services outside. These orders have provoked criticism from Christians, as well as calls for Trump to intervene.
Guilfoyle echoed many of these criticisms in a video last week, calling out governors for closing churches and permitting other “assaults on our Christian faith” during the coronavirus pandemic and protests following the death of George Floyd. She expanded on those criticisms Monday, saying that it is urgent that people of faith vote for Trump.
“Did you ever think that you would take for granted that we would be able to go to church and be able to worship?” she asked. “Well, the Left wants to radically change that. They want to destroy our churches and faith communities. They want to destroy the family unit, and President Trump is the man that we need you — if even for one reason, as a single-issue voter — to get out there and vote for your religious freedom and liberty.”
Guilfoyle then extemporized for several minutes on her own faith, saying that she believes prayer is a “huge reason” she recovered so quickly from her early July coronavirus diagnosis. She also cited a special devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and added that her habit of praying inspires her to “fight” for Trump. She later said that her reasons for reaching out to religious voters stemmed from a belief in her ability to be a “mobilizing” force for her values: “prayer,” “our ability to have Mass,” and “prayer in schools.”
Guilfoyle’s involvement in Catholics for Trump is the latest in a series of offbeat decisions in the Trump campaign’s efforts to reach people of faith. The coalition on Friday announced the appointment of Taylor Marshall, a prominent critic of Pope Francis, to its advisory board. Marshall, who became famous among traditionalist Catholics for persistent criticism of sexual abuse cover-ups, outlined his own reasons for supporting Trump in a Friday video.
“What we see going on in the United States of America are political groups and religious groups who want to dissolve not only the church but also the political status and bring it back together — recoagulate it — into something that is atheistic, communistic, socialistic, against the family, and against life,” Marshall said.
Marshall commended Trump for being aware of these forces and said that he was pleased that more Catholics were becoming “red-pilled” on issues concerning their faith. Marshall, like Guilfoyle, then cited the protection of churches during protests, anti-abortion issues, and the appointment of conservative justices to the Supreme Court as the main issues that Catholics should be concerned about in 2020.
A day after Marshall joined the campaign, Frank Pavone, the priest who has helped lead several coalitions in both 2016 and 2020, announced his departure. Pavone said that while he fully supported Trump and would continue to support Trump in an “unofficial capacity,” he was not allowed to continue to serve on the campaign per church law.
Pavone ignited controversy in 2016 when he filmed an anti-abortion video several days before the election in which he placed an aborted fetus on what appeared to be an altar. Pavone has defended the video despite intense criticism.
Guilfoyle, too, has seen her share of controversy before joining Catholics for Trump. While dating Donald Trump Jr., Guilfoyle left Fox News amid allegations that she had engaged in sexual misconduct by showing pictures of male genitalia to fellow colleagues and had discussed sex frankly in the workplace. Guilfoyle had previously faced criticism for playing a role in ending her boyfriend’s marriage of 12 years to Vanessa Trump, with whom he had five children.
