Donald Trump Finds Defenders and Detractors Among Conservatives
Still, Frank Luntz, the Republican consultant who was interviewing Mr. Trump in front of the evangelical audience in Iowa when he made the “cracker” comments about communion, said that he believes Mr. Trump’s reputation as a ruthless fighter is something that is appealing to Christian conservatives who believe their way of life is under constant assault.
Even after the “cracker” quip — “You could hear, audibly, shock in the room,” Mr. Luntz said — many people did not seem terribly bothered. “This is the Paul Simon principle of politics: A man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest,” Mr. Luntz said, summing up Mr. Trump’s enduring and paradoxical popularity with many Christian voters.