Tim Ballard attends the premiere of “The Voice of Liberty” on June 28, 2023 in Vineyard, Utah.
Fred Hayes | Getty Images
Former President Donald Trump announced Thursday that his 2024 campaign will screen this month “Voice of Freedom,” a hit film about the rescue of sex-trafficked children that has been popular in right-wing circles.
Members of Trump’s golf resort in Bedminster, New Jersey, and other supporters will be invited to Wednesday’s screening at the club, the Trump campaign said in a release that highlighted mainstream media There have been mixed reviews for this movie.
The release also praised Trump’s record on human trafficking during his White House tenure, noting that one of the film’s producers, Eduardo Verastegui, was a member Member of Trump’s Advisory Council on Hispanic Prosperity.
The news comes as many Republican presidential contenders — most notably Trump’s biggest challenger, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — focus on child safety, And relate it to other culturally wedged issues, such as gender fluidity, public education, and LGBTQ issues, which all fall under the broad category of “parental rights.”
DeSantis has put these issues front and center of the campaign and has tended to align with disney This came after the company criticized Florida legislation that limits discussion of sexual orientation in classrooms. The governor has repeatedly accused Disney of promoting the “sexualization of children,” a claim that the company’s chief executive, Bob Iger, slammed as “ridiculous” in an interview with CNBC on Thursday.
The screening also showed Trump again hug content Linked to QAnon, the film’s star Jim Caviezel accused of presenting right-wing conspiracy theories Promote.
the film, of which It is said Costing $14.5M to Make, Surprise Breakthrough at the Box Office: Big box office hit $14 million Its opening day, July 4, snatched the No. 1 spot from Disney’s “Raiders of the Lost Ark: Disk of Fate,” which opened five days earlier.”The Voice of Liberty” has grossed more than $53 million as of Wednesday’s deadline report. Only a few major publications, including The New York Times, watched this movieAccording to Rotten Tomatoes.
Utah-based Angel Studios released “The Voice of Liberty,” selling tickets online “pay forward” campaign. Funding for the campaign came primarily from Mexican sources, The New York Times report.
Purportedly based on a true story, “The Voice of Freedom” follows former government agent Tim Ballard as he goes to Colombia on a mission to rescue abducted children from sex traffickers.
The real-life Ballard is indeed a former DHS agent and the founder of Operation Underground Railroad, a nonprofit organization that runs sting operations to stop child exploitation.The group has faced charges exaggerate Some of its claims.
Ballard has testified before Congress about his efforts. In 2019, he was named president council about human trafficking.Ahead of the film’s release, Operation Underground Railroad launched the list Which parts of the film are real (the Columbia rescue operation and some characterization, the group says) and which parts are fake (the group says Ballard didn’t actually kill people).
Caviezel, who starred in Mel Gibson’s controversial 2004 film “The Passion of the Christ,” and Verastergui in the case of right-wing media figure and former Trump senior adviser Steve Bannon His latest role was promoted on the podcast.Other conservative outlets defended the film against critics, while Ballard pushed back Those linking it to QAnon.
This wacky right-wing internet conspiracy revolves around the idea that Trump is secretly fighting a mysterious and powerful satanic pedophile ring. People displaying “QAnon”-themed messages or espousing these views are often seen at Trump’s political rallies.
In 2020, when Trump was asked about QAnon, he said: “I don’t know much about the movement, but I know they like me very much, and I appreciate that.”