Maggie Haberman: Trump Playing ‘Risky Game’ Lashing Out at Evangelicals Who ‘Have Options’ — Like Pence

New York Times correspondent, best-selling author, and CNN analyst Maggie Haberman told CNN hosts that ex-President Donald Trump is playing “a risky game” by lashing out at evangelicals who “have options” like former Vice President Mike Pence.

Earlier this week, Trump lashed out at evangelical leaders who have yet to endorse him, telling veteran Christian broadcaster and host of The Water Cooler David Brody “That’s a sign of disloyalty. There’s a great disloyalty in the world of politics and that’s a sign of disloyalty.”

On Friday morning’s edition of CNN This Morning, Haberman joined co-anchors Don Lemon and Kaitlan Collins to discuss a variety of issues, including Trump’s dustup with evangelicals. She warned Trump risks pushing them away even as multiple probes make his future uncertain, and options like Pence present themselves:

KAITLAN COLLINS: Maggie, you also new reporting this morning on a conversation we’ve been talking about all week here, which is Trump’s campaign and his relationship with evangelicals who delivered the White House to him in 2016. Now he’s criticizing prominent leaders who aren’t rushing to endorse him.

MAGGIE HABERMAN: Yeah. As disloyal. His favorite word, It was also the word that he used for any former officials in his administration who might run against him. We hear him say this all the time. And Nikki Haley was one name I asked him about when I interviewed him for my book and he talked about, you know, disloyalty.

Look, it is a risky game that he’s playing. We don’t know what’s going to happen with the investigations into him. I just want to caveat that right off the bat. If there is movement there, it’s going to make it very complicated for evangelical leaders, even if Trump tried staying in the race. But right now he’s the only declared candidate.

And yet, and they are grateful to things he did in office, but they have other options. It was notable that Pastor Robert Jeffress hosted Mike Pence last weekend. Now, Jeffress is still sounding very, very pro-Trump, but the fact that he was willing to offer Pence an audience I think tells you that you are seeing some shift away from Trump. Will it be enough? I don’t know, because we have seen voters, you know, move away from their leaders and toward Trump before. But there is definitely a softening, just as there is in other parts of the Republican Party.

Watch above via CNN This Morning.