Donald Trump has been blasted by critics after telling supporters they won’t "have to vote again" should he return to the White House after November’s election.
The Republican candidate and former President made the remarks while speaking to Christian supporters at an event hosted by right-wing advocacy group Turning Point Action in Florida.
"Christians, get out and vote! Just this time – you won’t have to do it anymore," he told the crowd.
"You know what? It’ll be fixed! It’ll be fine. You won’t have to vote any more, my beautiful Christians.
"I love you. Get out — you gotta get out and vote. In four years, you don’t have to vote again. We’ll have it fixed so good that you won’t have to vote."
Watch Logan Church’s journey across America speaking to the MAGA faithful on TVNZ+
The comments immediately set alarm bells ringing from his critics.
Constitutional and civil rights attorney Andrew Seidel told followers on X the remarks were "not subtle Christian nationalism".
"He’s talking about ending our democracy and installing a Christian nation."
Podcast host Allison Gill said" "Democracy is in danger. This is not a drill."
An NBC legal commentator Katie Phang interpreted the comments as indicating a will to take indefinite control. "In other words, Trump won’t ever leave the White House if he gets re-elected."
According to Reuters, Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung did not directly address the comments when asked to clarify them.
He said the former President’s speech "was talking about uniting this country" while blaming "the divisive political environment" on the attempted assassination attempt on Trump two weeks ago.
Trump had previously drawn criticism for similar comments.
In December last year, Trump said he would be a "dictator on day one" when referencing his policies to close the southern border with Mexico and expand oil drilling. He has since claimed he was joking with the comments.
Trump’s comments come as the race for the White House heats up.
Many commentators believe the Democratic voter base has been re-energised since President Joe Biden announced his resignation from the race on Monday.
Vice President Kamala Harris, the now presumptive nominee, appears to have closed the gap in many opinion polls.
A spokesperson for the Harris Campaign did not comment directly to Reuters about Trump’s remarks but called the overall speech "bizarre" and "backward looking".
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