One Great Masquerade: The Trump Administration and Religion
https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/03/politics/trump-evangelicals-church-protests
Edited by Asmi Kansagra, Amelia Cantwell, and Owen Andrews
“There has been a tremendous renewal in religion, faith, Christianity, and God,” President Trump remarked proudly in his State of the Union address. “We love religion, and we love bringing it back… It’s coming back at levels that nobody actually thought possible. It’s really a beautiful thing to see.”
But is it? Since the Trump administration’s renewed success in the 2024 presidential election, Americans have expressed concerns with what they consider to be a rise in Christian nationalism: a political ideology that seeks to merge Christian and American identities, distorting both the Christian faith and America’s constitutional democracy. As the broader MAGA movement seeks to justify political decision-making through religious means, Christianity’s central message has become blurred, convoluting God’s word. In response, religious leaders have been urging their followers to stand up to the Trump administration. The “acts of faith” performed by right-wing politicians today aren’t a true reflection of discipleship; they’re a misrepresentation of biblical teachings.
The MAGA movement’s obsession with faith grew conveniently in response to President Trump’s assassination attempt in July 2024. After taking a bullet to the ear and defiantly exiting the stage with his fist to the sky, Trump seized upon an opportunity to build a heroic image that was strengthened by a broader belief that he’d been saved by divine intervention. News outlets shared these revelations almost immediately. Evangelical Christians began rebranding the 2024 election as a clash between “good and evil.” Within only a few days, Trump reinvented himself entirely: he was the savior and messiah for the Republican Party. He held that God had saved him for a greater purpose. His election would be a fulfilled prophecy.
Expressing these convictions meant, once assuming office, whether conscious of it or not, President Trump carried the weighty task of representing Christ throughout his affairs. Per foundational Christian values, this entails a responsibility to showcase “compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience” to the world, yet he falls severely short, indulging in acts of self-righteousness that compel him to make fundamentally unethical decisions instead. Now, historically, it isn’t unheard of for political leaders to assume powers that are “ordained by God.” However, in the modern world of politics, this is a first for the United States, and it chips away at the qualities that distinguish democratic leadership from fascist rule.
Indeed, the Trump administration’s relentless use of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) against minority groups has borne resemblance to mid-20th century German police-state tactics. For months, ICE agents have been violating federal policy and operating under a secrecy that raises questions about their constitutional legitimacy. To date, improper uses of force and misconduct have resulted in eight reported deaths since January, including six deaths in ICE detention facilities and the fatal shootings of Renee Goode and Alex Preti.
In refusing to condemn these tragedies and, in some cases, even fabricating narratives to justify them, the Trump administration has dangerously exposed intentions to manipulate public perception under a facade of faith. Vice President Vance, who has stated, “Christianity is America’s creed,” was caught rewriting the detention of a five-year-old Minnesotan child and his father, while Press Secretary Leavitt, who adorns a large cross during briefings, referred to a journalist as a “left-wing hack” for inquiring into Goode’s death. The consequences are twofold.
This consistent use of deceptive behavior and divisive rhetoric, as well as the employment of violence after proclaiming faith in Jesus, not only mocks Christianity and underscores self-righteous motives, but it also unreservedly dilutes God’s word.
Of His many central messages, Jesus teaches Christians to live peacefully with one another: “Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.” He exemplifies a tender relationship with God’s subjects, compelling them to exhibit humility. But, most profoundly, he reminds them to avoid superficial airs: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs… so you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”
The latter verse is further complicated by the United States-Iranian conflict. The United States initially entered Iran on the premise of “spreading democracy.” Yet, President Trump neglected the Constitution and democratic processes the moment he overrode congressional authorization and launched “Operation Epic Fury.” U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth justified this presidential overreach by stating Trump had been “anointed by Jesus to attack Iran,” and he has gone so far as to suggest Trump must initiate the Armageddon required for Christ’s return. The U.S. has since struck “2,000 targets using more than 2,000 munitions” at the cost of escalating tensions across the Middle East, the deaths of 13 American soldiers, and the unlawful bombing of a girls’ elementary school.
Unless the Trump administration is a portion of the “unholy trinity,” these reckless acts cannot be legitimized by the Bible. Armageddon is written as the cause of Satan, the Antichrist, and the False Prophet, which this administration should recognize upon reading Revelation 16:13-14. It’s mass destruction, a final war between human governments and God before the final day of judgment. Christ’s people aren’t perpetrators of this demolition; they’re victims of it. We should be concerned that the Trump administration doesn’t recognize this and even more worried that their violence is masquerading as a precursor to eternal peace.
Moreover, there’s something to be said about the U.S.’s fault for striking a girls’ school. The Iranian regime is considered authoritarian largely for its dictatorial oversight of its subjects, particularly that of women and girls. One could argue that this defining trait emboldened the Trump administration to commence a regime change, yet the paradox is that their actions have carelessly harmed the very people they hope to liberate. This administration hasn’t truly demonstrated interest in promoting freedom or safety. Even in the U.S., the Trump administration has had little consideration for the female sex. Note the E. Jean Carroll lawsuit, the infamous Epstein files scandal, President Trump’s mistreatment of a female reporter, and other instances of derogatory commentary. This has been a pattern of behavior from both Trump administrations.
In the world of politics, the Trump administration continues to denigrate women. A few weeks ago, Pete Hegseth hosted Pastor Douglass Wilson—a self-proclaimed Christian nationalist and theologian—to lead a worship service. Being notoriously conservative, Wilson has openly supported an erosion of the separation of church and state, expressed opposition to the 19th Amendment, and disclosed interests in establishing “a patriarchal society where women are expected to submit to their husbands.” The Trump administration’s association with this man is concerning, but it’s the precedent they’re setting that’s worse.
Although freedom of expression may generally permit the distribution of controversial opinions, the Trump administration’s advertisement of gender-normative beliefs threatens an established culture that has supported women’s independence since the late 20th century. When Fox News characterized the pregnancies of Second Lady Usha Vance, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, and other top Trump aides as a “Baby Bloom,” they focused more on praising their status as “mothers” than applauding their abilities to balance national duty with family life. The ideas they set forth are clear: motherhood is a woman’s greatest honor, and it’s the government’s responsibility to make it so. This conviction isn’t so distant from the 19th-century concept of Republican Motherhood. Nor is it much better than the undertones of the Mother’s Cross in Nazi Germany.
To be clear, these views aren’t adequate reflections of God’s word. Being a mother has little bearing on the value of being a woman. Biblically speaking, women took on several versatile positions outside the confines of traditional motherhood that Wilson and the Trump administration would’ve radically opposed. For example, in the New Testament, Phoebe, whom Paul commended as a deacon, likely hand-delivered and first interpreted his letters to the Romans Priscilla, who was influential in the early church by planting churches in Rome, and Mary Magdalene who was first to testify to Christ’s resurrection in an era that considered women’s testimony less credible than men’s.
The Trump administration may profess deep admiration for faith, but have they truly lived up to biblical demands?
Today, it seems that as marginalized groups on U.S. soil and abroad face turmoil, Christ’s teachings go neglected. At the cost of dehumanizing immigrants, escalating global conflict, and mistreating women, the Trump administration’s Christian nationalist agenda looms.
Let this not be the case.
As Paul wrote to the Romans, “I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.”