I was honored to represent you and our friends and partners all over the country at a White House dinner with President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump.

Dozens of evangelical leaders, including luminaries such as Dr. James Dobson, Rev. Franklin Graham, Rev. Ronnie Floyd, and Dr. Richard Land, were there. Everyone there has devoted their lives to spreading the Good News and to defending the Judeo-Christian roots of our country.

Jared and Ivanka Kushner were there, as were key leaders in the administration, including HHS Secretary Alex Azar, HUD Secretary Dr. Ben Carson, Ambassador Sam Brownback, Kellyanne Conway, and Sarah Huckabee Sanders. My close friends Vice President Mike Pence and his lovely wife Karen were also present.

I have been in Washington for more years than I care to admit. But I must tell you this was an extraordinary gathering of religious leaders and leaders from the highest levels of government. Let me share with you some brief excerpts of the president’s opening remarks:

“We’re here this evening to celebrate America’s heritage of faith, family, and freedom. As you know, in recent years, the government tried to undermine religious freedom.  But the attacks on communities of faith are over… Unlike some before us, we are protecting your religious liberty.

"In the last 18 months alone, we have stopped the Johnson Amendment from interfering with your First Amendment rights… We’ve taken action to defend the religious conscience of doctors, nurses, teachers, students, preachers, faith groups, and religious employers…

”[We] reinstated the Mexico City Policy [President Reagan] first put into place… We proposed regulations to prevent Title 10 taxpayer funding from subsidizing abortion. I was the first president to stand in the Rose Garden to address the March for Life…

“My administration has strongly spoken out against religious persecution around the world, including the persecution of Christians… We’ve recognized the capital of Israel and opened the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem…

"Every day we’re standing for religious believers, because we know that faith and family, not government and bureaucracy, are the center of American life.  And we know that freedom is a gift from our Creator…

"Together, we will uplift our nation in prayer, defend the sanctity of life, and forever proudly remain one nation under God.”

After President Trump’s opening statement, the cameras were turned off and the press was escorted out. What followed was an extraordinary interaction between the president and those of us in the White House State Dining Room.

President Trump urged us to thank all of you for standing with him during this time, which has been one of the most vicious attempts to undermine a president in the history of our country.

I was struck by how many men and women of color were in the room, and by their love for the president and what he has done to generate the kind of economic growth that is bringing real hope and change to many in the minority community.

Halfway through dinner, the president stood up and volunteered the podium to any willing guests who wanted to say a few words. I wish all of you could have been there!

What followed was a stream of men and women who really know how to preach. They shared their hearts with the president, encouraged him, and prayed for him and his family.

Standing under an imposing portrait of Abraham Lincoln, I did my best to remind the attendees of why Judeo-Christian civilization has brought so much freedom and prosperity to so many around the world.

I told the president that when all is said and done, history will likely record that his defense of this civilization — standing up for the rule of law, defending religious liberty, confronting the anthem kneelers, and critics of America like Andrew Cuomo — may be his most important legacy of all.

It was a truly remarkable evening! But, my friends, it was only possible because of your prayers and your generous support for our work in defense of faith, family, and freedom!

Trump’s New Deal

President Trump announced that the United States and Mexico had agreed to make major changes to the Clinton-era North American Free Trade Agreement or NAFTA. I believe the president can make a strong case that he is leveling the playing field for American workers, and I would not be surprised if the AFL-CIO supports this deal.

Some traditional economic conservatives may not be happy with every provision in the agreement, but it basically says that if you’re going to build a plant in Mexico and you are shipping the product back into the U.S., employees in the Mexican plant must receive average wages of $16 an hour.

Trump is getting at the heart of what has gutted the industrial Midwest. As The Wall Street Journal acknowledges, “The requirement reduces the incentive to outsource … production to lower-wage factories.”

Everyone says that no one can outwork American workers. Fair enough. But productivity is only part of the equation, and it is not fair to force American workers to compete against foreign wages.

Trump is trying to address the imbalance of previous trade deals that have encouraged companies to ship American jobs to Mexico. In addition, it also aims to curb some abusive trade practices by China.

These policies have wrecked American communities and families. This president is trying hard to stop it, and he doesn’t care if that bothers some DC think tanks.

About Those Clearances…

Remember how the Left and its media allies howled when Trump revoked former CIA Director John Brennan’s security clearance? Scores of ex-intelligence and government officials wrote scathing letters of protest blasting the president.

Well, guess what? It turns out that the American people overwhelmingly side with Trump and not the DC political elites — you know, the same crowd who told us Hillary Clinton was a shoo-in for the presidency.

According to the latest Harvard/Harris poll, 59% of Americans agree that Brennan’s clearance should have been revoked and 64% think fired FBI Director James Comey should have his clearance yanked too!

Now We Know

Last month, we reported about an “anomaly” that intelligence officials discovered on Hillary Clinton’s private email server. It turns out that the former secretary of state was compromised by a foreign power, and so severely in fact that virtually everything she sent was being copied and redirected in real time.

The Daily Caller is now reporting that it was a front company for the Chinese government, not Russia, that hacked Hillary’s server.

Good News!

Last week we told you that Visa and MasterCard had suspended transactions for the David Horowitz Freedom Center, essentially shutting down its online fundraising. I am pleased to report that Visa and MasterCard have reversed course after public pressure and outrage.