Trump reiterates promise to protect America's religious heritage 'like you have never seen before'

President Donald Trump has reiterated his promise to protect America's religious heritage "like you have never seen before," as he addressed the attendees of the Value Voters Summit in Washington D.C. on Friday.

The annual event, hosted by the Family Research Council (FRC), draws 2,000 social and religious conservatives to discuss and advance faith interests in the areas of politics and culture.

Trump was the first sitting U.S. president to speak at the event, but it was the second time that he had addressed the summit. He gave a speech at the summit last year when he became the Republican nominee for president.

"When I came to speak with you last year, I made you a promise. ... I pledged that, in a Trump administration, our nation's religious heritage would be cherished, protected and defended like you have never seen before. That's what's happening," Trump said, as reported by Church Militant.

The president went on to detail his administration's accomplishments in the area of religious liberty since he took office in January.

"To protect the unborn, I have reinstated a policy first put in place by President Ronald Reagan. The Mexico City Policy. To protect religious liberty, including protecting groups like this one, I signed a new executive action in a beautiful ceremony at the White House on our National Day of Prayer," Trump recalled.

He also touted an executive order that was aimed at knocking down the 1954 Johnson Amendment, which prohibits houses of worship from engaging in political activities.

"We will not allow government workers to censor our sermons or target our pastors, our ministers, our rabbis. These are the people we want to hear from, and they're not going to be silenced any longer," he vowed.

The president also pointed to a measure that broadens the religious exemptions under the Department of Health and Human Services' contraception mandate, which has been the subject of several lawsuits due to claims of religious liberty violations.

The audience gave Trump a standing ovation when he spoke about respecting the flag in the wake of NFL players kneeling during the national anthem in protest to social injustice.

In a statement, FRC president Tony Perkins thanked Trump for fulfilling his campaign promises. Besides FRC, other sponsoring organizations for the Values Voters Summit include the American Family Association, American Values, FRC Action, and Christian Healthcare Ministries, among others.

Other prominent conservative figures who addressed the summit include House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, Rep. Michele Bachmann, Steve Bannon, and pro-life activists David Daleiden and Lila Rose.

According to the summit's official website, the event was launched in 2006 to provide a forum to help inform and mobilize citizens across America to preserve the "bedrock values" of traditional marriage, religious liberty, sanctity of life, and limited government.