Newt Gingrich’s speech emphasized that LGBTQ Americans, among others, would be worse off in other nations. This construction of the nature of freedom in American identity, here in reference to Muslim fundamentalist governments, is reminiscent of the anti-Soviet framing during the Reagan era. Here, Gingrich is emphasizing comparative freedom versus talking about what freedom means in terms of the Republican platform for LGBTQ Americans, for example. As a side note, Gingrich lobbied hard to become Trump’s VP. He’s staked a lot on his dreams of higher office. According to Bloomberg, the FEC postponed a debt resettlement plan designed to spur Gingrich’s repayment of $4.6 million in debts from past campaigns.
