In an interview with Politico on Tuesday, Rick Santorum recalled his encounters with Donald Trump before the 2016 race began. Santorum said that in late 2011 after Santorum began his rise to the top of the pack, Trump called the 11-state winner a “loser” on Fox News. So Santorum called Trump to ask why, and here’s what Trump said:
“He said, ‘Well, but you’re too conservative. You’re just out there. You’re just way conservative.’ And the first thing he mentioned was pro-life. He said, ‘you’re too hard-core on pro-life, you’re too hard-core on marriage. I don’t know anyone who shares that opinion with you.’”
Say what you will about him as a presidential candidate, there’s no question Rick Santorum is both a champion and a mainstream voice for life, marriage, and religious liberty. He authored the partial-birth abortion ban, which is supported by an overwhelming majority of Americans. He holds the same opinions on same-sex marriage that Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and nearly all Republicans held until they caved to elite pressure within the last couple years. And believing that the Little Sisters of the Poor shouldn’t have to pay for contraception isn’t exactly extreme.
In public, Trump claims he’s going to be just great for Christians and other social conservatives. But behind the scenes? Trump talks another story, and only just a few years ago, according to Santorum.
Thomas Valentine is a researcher for the American Principles Project and a junior at the Franciscan University of Steubenville.
