WASHINGTON — A new report claims President Donald Trump previously disparaged and mocked Latter-day Saints years before he currently finds himself seeking their votes ahead of election day.
In an article for The Atlantic, writer McKay Coppins, who is a Latter-day Saint, shared comments Trump made as the two sat for an interview in 2014.
During the conversation, Coppins claims Trump told him it was then Gov. Mitt Romney's Mormon faith that cost him the presidency in 2014. Coppins said when he made Trump aware that he was also Mormon, Trump changed the way he went about attacking Romney.
Coppins writes that in 2014, Trump said "Christians" didn't turn out for Romney in the 2012 presidential election because "of the Mormon thing."
Former Trump adviser Michael Cohen told Coppins that the president was "especially vicious" when he learned about the undergarments worn by Latter-day Saints. Cohen says Trump repeatedly brought up Romney and the undergarments.
Trump's need for Latter-day Saint support in 2020 differs from that four years ago when Mormons ignored the Republican ticket. Coppins reports Trump is so desperate for their votes, he has dispatched his son, Don Jr, to Utah to campaign and court the Latter-day Saint vote.
Coppins added that some Utah Republicans believe Don Jr. has been so taken with the Latter-day Saint beliefs that they believe he may convert, a statement not confirmed by his spokesperson.
