MIAMI, Fla. — President Donald Trump drew cheers from evangelical supporters Friday night at a mega church as he discussed his reason for an airstrike killing an Iranian general.
Several thousand people attended the "Evangelicals For Trump" event at King Jesus International Ministry in Miami-Dade County. Trump immediately spoke about killing Iran's top general, Qassem Soleimani, in Baghdad, Iraq.
"That terminated the terrorist ring leader responsible for gravely wounding and murdering thousands and thousands of people," he said.
The president says he does not want war but added he won't hesitate to act when terrorists threaten American interests.
"So let this be a warning to terrorists, if you value your own life, you will not threaten the lives of our citizens," he said.
The president said the targeted killing of Soleimani was ordered because he was "plotting to kill" many Americans.
Supporters at the Miami event say the U.S. drone strike was the right move.
"There has to be a message saying that if you mess with us it's not going to go far," Erica Wilcoxson said.
With large crowds inside, a man sat outside to watch the comments in a speech that touched on the need to defeat anti-Semitism and the issue of religious freedom.
"As a Christian I support Trump cause he has done more for, I don't know if he's a christian himself or not that's his problem," Ricardo Fernandez sai. "But I know he's done more for the Christian community than any past president."
The president went on to say that as long as he's around, he's going to protect the Second Amendment in gun ownership rights.
The rally comes just days after Trump was the subject a scathing editorial in the Christianity Today magazine that called for his removal from office.
President Trump enjoyed broad support of evangelicals in 2016, and his campaign believes that his record in office, including the installation of two Supreme Court justices, will lead to even more votes from religious conservatives this year.
Trump tweeted from his private Mar-a-Lago club on Palm Beach that Soleimani "should have been taken out many years ago!"
....of PROTESTERS killed in Iran itself. While Iran will never be able to properly admit it, Soleimani was both hated and feared within the country. They are not nearly as saddened as the leaders will let the outside world believe. He should have been taken out many years ago!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2020
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
