Trump the Messiah | La Presse

Donald Trump was already seen by his religious base as God’s chosen one. The assassination attempt on him reinforced that image in their eyes. Explanations.

What are we talking about ?

Since the assassination attempt on Donald Trump on Saturday, references to divine intervention have multiplied, both in speeches at the Republican National Convention and on social media.

“Republicans and Republican leaders using messianic language to talk about Donald Trump is something we haven’t really seen in recent years,” said Melissa Deckman, president and CEO of the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) in Washington.

On Saturday night, the former president’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, posted an image depicting Jesus watching over her father-in-law. Others used similar montages to illustrate God protecting the Republican candidate from the gunman’s bullets, which killed one person and seriously injured two others.

In what context does this take place?

A significant portion of Donald Trump’s base is influenced by a branch of Christianity based on the charismatic movement, which believes in prophecy, Kristin Kobes Du Mez, a history professor at Calvin University in Michigan, a Christian institution, told reporters by phone. “They see the hand of God at work in the world in ways that they believe they can interpret,” she said.

This is not new: since his election in 2016, Donald Trump has been portrayed in some circles as an elected official who will save “Christian America,” she adds.

Paul Froese, a sociology professor at Baylor University, a Christian university in Texas, likens it to a “cult,” with a very literal interpretation of events. “It’s not nuanced theology,” he said by phone. “For example, if they pray, they expect it to happen, almost magically, like, ‘I knocked on wood and now I’m protected.’”

By escaping death by a few inches, Donald Trump appeared particularly blessed in the eyes of these people.

Even though he has been known for half a century for his boisterous lifestyle?

Yes. When he made the leap into politics in 2015, the former real estate tycoon was not exactly a religious role model. His three marriages, his conquests, his casinos, his liberal positions could have put off this electorate.

But the morality of candidates no longer matters as much as it used to, according to a study published by PRRI in 2022 — with an even more notable shift among Republicans. While in 2011, 36% of Republican respondents were willing to vote for a candidate who was competent but had committed immoral acts in his personal life, the proportion had jumped to 71% by 2020.

Evangelical figures have also portrayed Donald Trump not as Jesus, but as Cyrus the Great – chosen to liberate Jews without being Jewish himself.

What is the political interest?

It’s hard to talk about religious support for Donald Trump without addressing the influence of Christian nationalists, who see the United States as a haven for Christianity whose identity is threatened by progressives and outsiders.

“We’ve seen a shift over the last 20 years among white evangelical conservatives, especially in the United States, to want to invest more in places of power,” notes Mr. Froese. In a context, also, of a decline in the number of practicing believers.

And Donald Trump, unlike other politicians, has managed to deliver victories to this base, notably with the appointment of conservative justices to the Supreme Court, who have ended the guarantee of the right to abortion.

Does Trump’s Christian imagery influence people outside a specific circle?

That remains to be seen.

M^me Deckman believes that this appeals especially to his base and points out that Republicans do not have the monopoly on the votes of practicing Christians.

The images may attract people who are less devout but inclined to see Christianity as a facet of cultural identity, Mr.^me From the Mez.

On the other hand, people who are not sensitive to this aspect may never see the montages posted on social networks or hear the speeches of Republican politicians.

“We live in a siloed society, so a lot of liberals in this country rarely see these memes or hear this rhetoric because they’re not in the same media spaces,” she says.

If they do come across these images, they’re likely to quickly dismiss them. “It seems so absurd to them, and I think there’s a tendency for people outside of those circles not to take it seriously and not to understand the depth of commitment and belief that these images represent for a fairly large proportion of American voters,” she says.