Trump makes 11th-hour plea for Matt Van Epps over Aftyn Behn, whom he claims 'hates Christianity' – Fox News

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Congressional candidate Matt Van Epps discusses his special election in Tennessee against opponent Aftyn Behn, who has received criticism for her stance on defunding the police on ‘The Ingraham Angle.’
President Donald Trump called on Tennesseans to vote for Matt Van Epps, the Republican nominee in the special election for the Volunteer State’s 7th Congressional District, in a Truth Social post on Sunday.
Just two days ahead of the election on Dec. 2, Trump urged “all America First Patriots in Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District, who haven’t voted yet, to please GET OUT AND VOTE.”
The president claimed that Van Epps’ Democratic opponent, state Rep. Aftyn Behn, “hates Christianity, will take away your guns, wants Open Borders, Transgender for everybody, men in women’s sports, and openly disdains Country music.”
“She said all of these things precisely, and without question — IT’S ON TAPE!” Trump claimed. “Do not take this Race for granted.”
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President Donald Trump urged Tennessee voters to support Matt Van Epps in the December 2 special election, attacking Democratic state Rep. Aftyn Behn. (Getty Images; Imagn Images)
“The Radical Left Democrats are spending a fortune to beat one of the best Candidates we’ve ever had, Matt Van Epps!”
Trump concluded that Van Epps has his “Complete and Total Endorsement” and “WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!”
Van Epps, a lieutenant colonel in the Tennessee Army National Guard and a former Army helicopter pilot, was formally endorsed by Trump earlier this year and called his support “an incredible honor.”
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Democratic congressional nominee State Rep. Aftyn Behn, D-Nashville, attends a campaign event during the special election for the seventh district, Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025, Nashville. (George Walker IV/AP Photo)
Trump’s post comes as Behn draws national attention for her past comments, ranging from anti-police rhetoric to her dislike of country music and Nashville’s drinking culture.
The Democrat was also once a frequent advocate for cutting police funding, even suggesting that the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department should be defunded.
Last week, Behn was asked to clarify her previous remarks during an episode of MS NOW’s “The Weekend.”
“In 2020, you made some tweets that have since been deleted that were very critical of police… 2020 was obviously a very fraught year. Do you still stand by those comments? And if not, is there anything you want to clarify?” host Catherine Rampell asked.
U.S. 7th Congressional District candidate Aftyn Behn speaks during a political forum Monday, Sept. 8, 2025, in Dickson, Tennessee. (George Walker IV/AP Photo)
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“I’m not going to engage in cable news talking points, but what I will say is that, you know, our communities need solutions,” Behn responded. “We need local people deciding, solving local problems with local solutions. And that’s not the overreach of a federal government or state government of which we are dealing with in Nashville and our cities across the state of Tennessee.”
Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser, Alec Schemmel and Hanna Panreck contributed to this report.
Andrea Margolis is a lifestyle writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. Readers can follow her on X at @andreamargs or send story tips to andrea.margolis@fox.com.
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This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2025 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper.

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