During the 2024 Presidential election campaign season, an acquaintance asked me what my problem was with Mr. Trump. I explained that my difficulty wasn’t with Mr. Trump, I could vote for someone else, my difficulty was with Evangelical leaders’ unqualified support of Mr. Trump’s candidacy for the presidency. I explained that what I found surprising in the support offered by the Evangelical world for Mr. Trump was a distinct lack of coaching in the faith they said he professed in Jesus as Lord. The President’s rhetoric and some of his values stand in opposition to faith in Christ.
Yet rather than offer an instructive and challenging voice, Evangelicals seemed to double down on their claim that Mr. Trump was God’s solution for the nation’s challenges. A parade of false equivalences usually attended such claims, e.g., David was anointed yet imperfect, Moses was a murderer yet called to save a nation, etc. I say false equivalencies because these two examples were men who admitted their weaknesses and failures and asked God for forgiveness. They had a track record of helping the weak, the oppressed, the outcast, and the nation. Mr. Trump has engaged policies that help specific categories of the downtrodden, namely the unborn, while simultaneously using rhetoric that demeans, dehumanizes, and vilifies others. These weren’t the only examples of course, The President has also been compared to the Persian king, Cyrus who granted permission for Jewish exiles in Babylon to return to Israel and rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple.
Public policy is complex; for every solution, there are unexpected consequences. Governance is imperfect, so we have a system that limits power, encourages debate, and continuously aims to refine our perspectives toward a more perfect union.
Given this imperfect form of governance and the Church’s identity as a pilgrim and stranger on this planet, I would expect that Christian leaders would have wise and discerning coaching insights and reminders for political leaders, especially those who have made a public declaration that they are God’s answer to social problems. As President Trump said in his inaugural address, “I felt then — and believe even more so now — that my life was saved for a reason I was saved by God to make America great again.”[1] That President Trump has reflected on what God may be doing to save him from assassination is encouraging. Where are the Christian leaders instructing and confronting him instead of acting like sycophants?
I was encouraged to hear Bishop Marianne Budde’s homily at the National Prayer Service. At the National Prayer Service on Tuesday (21 January) at the National Cathedral in Washington, Bishop Budde publicly asked the president to have mercy on LGBT+ children and to understand that immigrants are not all criminals and that many are afraid of what he might do to them.[2] Her tone was respectful and filled with grace. Praise God for leaders who respect their calling and the political servants around them enough to encourage them to think in God’s terms.
I am disappointed to hear the President’s response to Bishop Budde. Rather than applaud her encouragement to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly before God. Writing on Truth Social after midnight on Wednesday, Trump called the bishop “very ungracious” and “not very good at her job.”[3] Back to false equivalencies for a moment, when David was confronted by those around him he didn’t fire back with insults, he listened then he responded to God. I pray that the President would learn from others. I understand that the President doesn’t support the LGBTQ+ community. Differences in value and policies have always coexisted in the United States. But, regardless of the policy differences, the heart of the gospel still rests on mercy.
The President sets a tone for the country. His rhetorical crassness bears unfortunate fruit as evidenced in statements like that of Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.) whose response to Biship Budde was, “The person giving this sermon should be added to the deportation list.” Collins wrote in a post on the social platform X, alongside a clip of Budde’s comments.[4]
I am not proposing that Christian leaders moralize every flaw they see. I am proposing that actions like that of Bishop Budde are appropriate reminders of an agenda that transcends partisanship. As servants of the living God, we need to run the risk of confronting power when power has lost sight of the common good, which in this case includes the 50.2% of the popular vote that did not vote for Mr. Trump.[5]
[1] Source: https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/261667/at-inauguration-president-trump-vows-new-golden-age-i-was-saved-by-god-to-make-america-great-again; Accessed 22 Jan 2025.
[2] Source: https://www.aol.com/bishop-mariann-budde-explains-why-173324927.html; Accessed 22 Jan 2025.
[3] Source: https://www.newsweek.com/trump-responds-bishop-confronted-him-very-ungracious-2018704; Accessed 22 Jan 2025.
[4] Source: https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5098959-gop-member-wants-bishop-added-to-deportation-list-after-trump-prayer-service/; Accessed 22 Jan 2025.
[5] Source: https://www.cfr.org/article/2024-election-numbers; Accessed 22 Jan 2025.