Former president Donald Trump told Michael Flynn he would “bring him back” in a call during a ReAwaken America rally.
Flynn, a former White House national security adviser and retired Army general, was pardoned by Trump in the final weeks of his term, ending a yearslong prosecution in the Russia investigation that saw him twice plead guilty to lying to the FBI before reversing himself.
Flynn went on to launch the ReAwaken America Tour in the months after the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
Since early last year, the tour has traveled across the country, hosting conferences featuring conspiracy theorists, pastors, and pro-Trump speakers. NPR has described each stop as “part conservative Christian revival, part QAnon expo, and part political rally.”
After he canceled his Iowa rally, Trump calls in to the ‘Reawaken America’ QAnon rally tonight and tells Michael Flynn that he will be bringing him back in his next Administration. pic.twitter.com/rTY33ac7yX
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) May 14, 2023
The tour came to the Trump National Doral Miami for a three-day conference that ended on Saturday evening.
Trump, the frontrunner in the 2024 Republican primary, was forced to abruptly cancel an outdoor rally in Iowa on Saturday due to a tornado watch.
But he called Flynn during a Reawaken America event and told him he would have a role in the next Trump administration, according to a video posted on Twitter by lawyer Ron Filipkowski, who tracks far-right figures online.
“I will say General Flynn he’s some general, he’s some man,” Trump is heard saying through a phone Flynn is seen holding in the clip, which has amassed more than a million views.
“He took abuse like nobody could have handled and he came back bigger, better stronger than ever before.
“We love him, he’s a leader and you just stay wealthy and healthy and well and everything. I want you to have great lives in general. You just have to stay healthy because we’re bringing you back. We’re gonna bring you back.”
Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images
Trump’s remarks drew cheers from the crowd, and Flynn replied: “My wife’s going crazy.”
The Trump campaign has been contacted for comment via email.
It comes days after Rolling Stone reported that Trump wants Flynn and Jeffrey Clark, both leading figures in his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, at his side if he wins a second term.
In at least one conversation, Trump noted that any senior role for Flynn would “probably” have to be a non-Senate-confirmed appointment, a source with direct knowledge told the publication.
The tour’s most recent stop drew protests from Christian organizations sounding the alarm about Christian nationalism.
Amanda Tyler, the lead organizer of Christians Against Christian Nationalism and executive director of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, said she attended the conference on Saturday and “watched speakers mix Christian imagery and language with lies and conspiracy theories about COVID vaccines and the security of our election system.”
In a statement to Newsweek, Tyler added: “We organized a Christian counter-witness because we are horrified to see the faith we hold dear being used to spread lies, violence and authoritarian theocracy. We are here to say to the millions of Christians across this country who are likewise horrified and angry about Christian nationalism – you are not alone.”