Trump hosts Amish in historic Oval Office visit Washington Times, Dec 22,2019
President Trump began the holiday break by hosting an Amish delegation in the Oval Office, the first time members of the reclusive community have received that honor.
They might be an odd pairing — the brash and extravagant billionaire president and the famously humble Amish — but they enjoy a kinship in their Christian faith and work ethic, the Amish visitors told The Washington Times.
“He is a common man just like me and everybody else — very common, very friendly. He called us friends when we walked in there,” said Levi Miller, 56, an Amish farmer from Ohio. “It gets people excited that we have somebody in there who is not afraid to talk about Jesus Christ.”
Mr. Miller was among four Amish businessmen from Ohio who sat down for an exclusive interview with The Times following their Oval Office visit Friday, where they also met Vice President Mike Pence, acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney and other top White House officials.
The Amish men described themselves as strong supporters of Mr. Trump and each denounced the House Democrats’ impeachment of the president as a waste of taxpayer money.
“We read the newspaper and it is just impeachment this and impeachment that. It’s a lot of hogwash,” said Ben Hostetler, 51, a woodworker. “What they are blaming Trump for is what they did themselves.”
The Amish businessmen credit Mr. Trump with fostering a robust economy, protecting religious freedom and adhering to conservative values.
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The historic White House meeting also included two Amish business leaders from Pennsylvania and two from Indiana. It was organized by Chris Cox, the founder of the activist group Bikers for Trump, who is also a candidate in the crowded GOP primary in South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District.
For the past two years, Mr. Cox has been working to increase political involvement among Trump supporters in Amish communities, many of which are located in key 2020 presidential battlegrounds such as Ohio and Pennsylvania.
Neither Washington politicos nor members of the Amish community could recall a previous Oval Office reception for the Amish, though President Woodrow Wilson welcomed an Amish minister to the White House for a prayer service during World War I.