Conservative Christian support for Trump
Why does United States President Donald Trump enjoy strong support among conservative Christians, not only in his own country, but even among similar religious groups in other countries like the Philippines?
To a lot of people, this is puzzling because a person of Trump’s character, reputation, and history is usually the total opposite of the kind of person that conservative Christians would identify with, much more so, idolize. Trump has been accused of having violated almost every rule in the 10 Commandments.
Trump has had three marriages, each of which was scandalously attended by multiple instances of infidelity and sexual misconduct. Trump has been recorded horrendously talking about how he approaches women and how he “grab[s] them by the p*ssy,” and he even brags that he “can do anything” when it comes to women. With multiple references in the infamous Epstein Files, Trump is accused of having procured sex with minor girls.
In between his two terms as US president, Trump was charged and convicted of 34 criminal counts of falsifying business records to hide payments he made to a porn actress, Stormy Daniels, as hush money to buy her silence over a sexual encounter between them. Trump has since appealed his conviction.
In his most recent religious scandal, he posted an artificial intelligence (AI) photo of himself as Jesus Christ. Responding to Pope Leo’s criticisms of his controversial immigration policies and the war he has engaged with Iran, Trump accused the Pope of being “weak on crime, and terrible for foreign policy.” Last year, he posted an AI photo of himself as the pope after he joked to the media that “I’d like to be pope” at a time when the Vatican was preparing to choose the next pontiff after Pope Francis’ death.
Trump uses language that is profanity-filled, and he does not hesitate to call his enemies offensive, demeaning, and derogatory names that are usually viewed as abusive and distasteful among devoutly religious people.
In his businesses, Trump has been accused and sued for fraud and falsification. The companies controlled by Trump filed a total of six corporate bankruptcies, leading to allegations of significant losses for investors and creditors, and even job losses and reduced retirement benefits for workers.
With such a checkered reputation, why does Trump enjoy support from conservative Christians, of all people? The reasons cited for this phenomenon are Trump’s support for antiabortion policies and his opposition to LGBTQ+ rights.
There are sizable groups of conservative Christians who support Trump because his actions and policies align with their Christian nationalism views, his stand on immigration, his views on Muslims, and his moves to abolish diversity, equity, and inclusion programs that are aimed at giving minorities equal opportunities for employment and government benefits.
By and large, however, Trump’s stand on abortion and LGBTQ+ issues is the fundamental reason for the support of conservative Christians.
However, Trump has changed his position on abortion 15 times over the past 25 years, as shown in a compilation made by CNN in 2024. He was previously pro-choice, and then he changed to a hardcore antiabortion stance. Critics accuse him of changing his position on the issue “to match the politics of the voters he is trying to win over.”
Trump has also oscillated in his position on LGBTQ+ rights over the course of time. Previously, he supported permitting transgender individuals to use the restroom they feel most comfortable using, but later on changed his position by saying that he supports prohibiting transgender individuals from using a bathroom that does not match their gender at birth.
On same-sex marriage, Trump has declared that he is for the “traditional marriage” between a man and a woman. However, when pressed on how his three marriages fit into the definition of “traditional marriage,” he merely admitted that he was at fault in his divorces.
Judging by his soft and shifting positions on abortion and LGBTQ+ rights, when viewed in the context of his personal history, Trump’s stand on these two issues functions as a corral that entices and then cages conservative Christians to be enclosed in the Trump camp. Trump’s positions on these two issues are virtual currencies that function to “buy” the votes and support of conservative Christians.
It is unfortunate that conservative Christians have chosen to wear blinders that cover their view of what they have bargained for in exchange. They must open their eyes to see the chaos and mayhem that they have enabled Trump to bring to the whole world.
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