How MAGA Christianity is being used to protect the Trump administration
By SABRINA FIGUEROA — sfigueroaavila@ucdavis.edu
When you grow up in the Catholic church, going to mass with medieval stained glass windows and the Virgin Mary constantly staring you down, you retain a lot of religious guilt about everything you do, especially if your actions go against the word of God. So imagine my surprise when the second Trump administration took office earlier this year, blatantly claiming a man with 34 felony convictions, an anti-immigrantion platform and sexual assault allegations to be “the second coming of Christ.” I shiver at the audacity.
In all seriousness, Christianity among supporters of the “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) movement — the slogan of Donald Trump’s political party — has been in the media spotlight since the death of Charlie Kirk. However, it’s been a topic of cultural conversation since Trump’s first term, when he first claimed to be “the chosen one.” His claims to be a “savior” only increased in the summer before the 2024 Presidential Election, when he was shot in the ear at a political rally in Pennsylvania. By that point, some of his MAGA supporters saw him as a divine being, with a divine order to rule.
David French, a columnist at the New York Times, recently wrote about how MAGA evangelicals applauded Charlie Kirk’s widow Erika Kirk for her forgiveness of her husband’s murderer, while simultaneously applauding Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff, and Trump’s comments on “hating your enemies.” French argues the misinterpretation of Romans 13 — a biblical passage on the role of authorities — allows MAGA to approve of forgiveness and hate at the same time.
“To look at Romans 13 as excusing Trump is to make what amounts to an astonishing category error… Scripture could not be more clear that a ruler is obligated to do justice and that the sword (to the extent it should be wielded) exists to protect the innocent, not to punish your enemies,” French’s column reads.
Trump’s speech about “hating his enemy” only served as a confession that his first priority is vengeance on his enemies, while protecting the innocent is his last. Even the way the Trump administration and MAGA supporters framed Kirk’s death as a partisan issue goes to show that they are not concerned with injustices done against constituents — unless it benefits their power as authority figures. We are just pawns in this big political game.
If one does not take into account context and accepts the narrative of Romans 13 as followers of Trump tell it, it would appear as though political authority figures have the God-given right to do anything. It’s a return to the rhetoric of the divine right of kings — a worrisome thought considering the United States was founded on opposing the abuse that manifested from this power and doctrine.
Nonetheless, this newly popular variant of evangelicalism views Trump as an extension of God, which, in itself, makes it a challenge to hold Trump accountable for his actions. The blurred lines between politics and religion in this case make it difficult for people to argue against Trump’s actions — a critique on Trump is unacceptable as it’s a critique on God by extension.
That logic, exacerbated by stalls on judicial and legislative checks through the Supreme Court’s decision on presidential immunity and a loyal Republican majority in Congress, only adds another layer of protection from accountability — a protection from the informal check on power by the public.
Religion is a knife, and Trump is wielding it as a dangerous weapon, a political tool. The line that separates church and state — fundamental to the foundation of the U.S. — is being crossed and we cannot fall into the mistake of accepting it as the status quo.
Trump unabashedly calling himself “the chosen one” is not normal. The Trump administration’s recent efforts to deploy the National Guard to Los Angeles, Chicago and Portland is not normal. Selling “God Bless The USA” Bibles plastered with an American flag on the covers and printed with copies of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights — which his presidential actions don’t seem to support either — for $60 to $1000 (the one with his signature in it!) is not normal. Not only do these Bibles merge Christianity with American nationalism, its price point violates a core principle of Christianity: which is to support and be accessible to the poor — a Bible should never cost $60, let alone $1000.
Faith should not be defined by political ideology — God himself cannot be placed on any given side of the spectrum. It’s not about whether MAGA evangelicals are “real” Christians or not, it’s about leading them in a direction that involves productive education and discussion of faith — without propaganda. It’s easier said than done, but it’s necessary. People should find what faith means to themselves on their own terms, not on anyone else’s, and certainly not on the terms of a man who says “an eye for an eye” is his favorite biblical verse — a line he takes to simply mean “vengeance.”
Written by: Sabrina Figueroa — sfigueroaavila@ucdavis.edu
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