Donald Trump versus Christianity

Contents: Love | Golden Calf | Careless Words | King Ahab

On November 8, 2024 I was exploring the town of Fira on the Greek island of Santorini. I entered the Catholic Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, and sat down in the quiet sanctuary to rest awhile and pray. I saw two banners hung near the front of the sanctuary; they displayed the words of 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, in Greek on the right side, and in English on the left. And as I pondered those words describing God's love, and the love we Christians ought to express toward one another, I thought of the recent Presidential election in America, when on November 5, 2024, Donald Trump was elected over Kamala Harris.

Image credit: Zde at Wikimedia Commons.

Love is patient,
Love is kind.
It is not jealous,
Love is not pompous,
it is not inflated,
it is not rude,
it does not seek its own interests,
it is not quick-tempered,
it does not brood over injury,
Love does not rejoice over wrongdoing
but rejoices with the truth.
Love bears all things, believes all things,
hopes all things, endures all things,
Love never fails.

(1 Corinthians 13:4-8a)

Donald Trump shows none of these expressions of Love.

Let's examine St. Paul's description of love one item at a time. Let us look at the public behavior displayed by Donald Trump (hereafter DJT, because I don't like to repeat his name). In symbolic Biblical terms, what are the fruits that grow on his tree? (Matthew 7:15-20)

1. Love is patient,
   On November 5, 2020, DJT tweeted a ridiculous and unconstitutional demand to "STOP THE COUNT!" of legal votes that were still being counted in key states. He issued this call because he believed that he was currently ahead in the vote count. No - every legal vote should be - and was - counted, giving Joe Biden victory in the 2020 Presidential Election. Biden called for patience; DJT continued to lie about the results of this election for years afterward.
2. Love is kind.
   In July 2016, DJT attacked a Gold Star family who had lost their son, American Muslim soldier Humayun Khan, a U.S. Army captain. Captain Khan was killed by a car bomb in 2004 while guarding the gates of his base in Iraq, saving the lives of his fellow soldiers and civilians.
The Good Samaritan on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho.
Image credit: Pelegri Clave (1811-1880).
3. It is not jealous [envious],
   DJT has frequently expressed admiration for Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation and Viktor Orbán of Hungary over their non-democratic authoritarian rule. On February 22, 2022 with interviewers Clay & Buck, DJT fawned over Putin and his "genius" during Russia's invasion of Ukraine. In contrast, Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan helping a distant neighbor who had been attacked.
4. Love is not pompous [boastful],
   On December 16, 2024, DJT boasted of his "massive", "unprecedented and powerful mandate" in an interview with Time Magazine. DJT's electoral victory over Kamala Harris on November 5, 2024 was nothing of the sort. The margin of victory in the popular vote was only 1.5%, despite the 86-vote margin in the Electoral College.
5. it is not inflated [arrogant],
   On February 16, 2024, Judge Arthur Engoron imposed a $364 million penalty in DJT’s New York civil fraud case. The judge found that DJT and associates had filed fraudulent financial statements that inflated his wealth. New York Attorney General Letitia James stated that interest on the penalty increases the owed amount to $450 million.
6. it is not rude,
   DJT's behavior toward Canada and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on December 10, 2024 went far beyond rudeness. DJT insulted Trudeau and the nation of Canada, calling him the governor of the 51st state. Christians do not mock their loyal friends.
7. it does not seek its own interests,
   Before and during the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol, when an armed mob attempted to prevent the US Congress from certifying of the 2024 Presidential election, DJT committed acts for which he was impeached by the US House of Representatives on January 13, 2021. The Colorado Supreme Court found that DJT did indeed commit insurrection while trying to prevent the transfer of Presidential power from himself over to President-elect Joe Biden; the Supreme Court of the United States later blocked Colorado from following the US Constitution Amendment 14.3 and removing DJT's name from the ballot.
8. it is not quick-tempered [irritable],
   During March and April 2024, DJT violated the gag order issued by Judge Juan Merchan 10 times, incurring fines that totaled $10,000. This legal case was DJT's hush money criminal trial; he was later found guilty by a New York jury of his peers on all 34 felony counts.
9. it does not brood over injury,
   On December 16, 2024, DJT sued the Des Moines Register and J. Ann Selzer over an election poll published on November 2 that later turned out to be in error by 16 percentage points. The Christian thing to do would have been to ignore the error, especially since DJT won the election anyway.
10. Love does not rejoice over wrongdoing
    On January 23, 2016, DJT infamously declared in Iowa that "I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue [New York City] and shoot somebody and I wouldn't lose any voters." That is nothing to brag about! Does a Christian really boast about having supporters who approve of murder? Unfortunately, DJT's prediction here proved all too close to the truth, as 77 million American voters in 2024 were undeterred by DJT's 34 criminal convictions.
11. but rejoices with the truth.
    As of September 2024, DJT still denies that he lost the 2020 election, and continues to lie about voter fraud.
12. Love bears all things,
13. believes all things,
    DJT does not accept vaccines, climate change, the NATO alliance, US intelligence about Russian meddling in US elections, . . .
14. hopes all things,
15. endures all things,
    On January 21, 2025, during the Service of Prayer for the Nation held at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC, DJT could not endure one final plea to him by Episcopal Bishop of Washington DC Mariann Edgar Budde: "I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now." DJT later called her remarks "nasty in tone". I do not see anything "nasty" in the full transcript of Bishop Budde's plea; her tone was respectful in acknowledging his authority, and she advocated for the powerless people in American society just as Jesus did in His own ministry.
16. Love never fails [remains].
    DJT failed to respond to the unfolding tragedy of the Palisades Fire in northwestern Los Angeles in any kind of loving or constructive manner (January 2025). Instead, he attempted to score political points from the disaster; ridiculing the officials who were working hard to save lives and property (Jan 13, 2025), and spreading lies on social media about "no water for fire hydrants", empty state reservoirs, "no money in FEMA", and other false claims. DJT's behavior toward southern California is even worse than the priest and the Levite in Jesus' Parable of the Good Samaritan. Instead of merely ignoring the needs of Angelenos, DJT chose to insult and lie about them because they are a different political party.

These events are not momentary lapses in a well-meaning Christian man trying to lead a righteous lifestyle according to the Bible's commands. No, DJT's behavior shows a consistent pattern of ignoring and directly contradicting how the Bible commands Christians to live. The bad fruits of DJT are easy to find in the daily news feeds.

1 John 4:7-8 provides a conclusion to this application of 1 Corinthians 13.

7 Beloved, let us love one another,
for love is from God,
and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.
8 Anyone who does not love does not know God,
because God is love.

Conclusion: Donald Trump does not know God.

Contents: Love | Golden Calf | Careless Words | King Ahab

Posted: December 8, 2024
Updated: January 30, 2025
Author: Copyright 2024 by Carl Drews.