Donald Trump has promised to be a dictator on “day one” of his administration. Based on his already-announced plans and those in process, Trump, like other autocrats and authoritarians, means what he says. His words and statements should be understood both literally and figuratively. Trump’s (and the Republican Party’s and the “conservative” movement’s) models of leadership are Vladimir Putin and Viktor Orbán. Trump and his MAGA presidential administration and movement will attempt to remake American society in their mold — and do so very quickly.

Trump’s White Christian voters are the base of his support. He would not have been elected without them. Professor Ryan Burge, an associate professor of political science at Eastern Illinois University, told The Salt Lake Tribune, “It’s hard to overcome the white God gap…in a place like Pennsylvania or Michigan and Wisconsin.” White Christians are now literally and metaphorically Trump’s biblical "arrows" and "armor." For example, on Jan. 6 White Christian extremists were in the vanguard of the attack on the Capitol and attempt to end America’s multiracial pluralistic democracy. Christian extremists also play a central role in the right-wing paramilitary and “militia” movement more broadly. Research by Robert P. Jones of PRRI shows that White Christians (specifically, members of the White Christian Right and Christian Nationalists) are more likely to be authoritarian and to endorse the use of political violence than are other Americans.

Given his behavior and values, many in the mainstream news media remain perplexed by Trump’s popularity among White Christians. After over eight years and Trump’s imminent return to the White House, this response is now mostly performative; an act of willful ignorance and denial. Ultimately, the explanation is basic and the root of politics and power: Trump has promised and is giving White Christians what they want, and in return, they are supporting him.

Trump wants unlimited power. White Christians (especially the Christian Right and Christian Nationalists) want the power to control what they describe as the “7 Mountains” or spheres of society: religion, government, family, education, media, business and arts and entertainment. They seek to impose their theocratic vision on the United States and its people. Trump did not seduce or trick White Christians into supporting him and the MAGA movement. It was a mutual agreement based on shared interests.

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The American people are going to find out very soon what life will be like under such a regime. It will be no heavenly paradise.

The Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush is the president and CEO of Interfaith Alliance. An ordained Baptist minister, he works with affiliates, networks, and leaders in Washington, D.C., and across the country to forge powerful alliances among people of diverse faiths and beliefs to build a resilient, inclusive democracy and uphold religious freedoms. He hosts the weekly podcast and radio show “The State of Belief”, distributed by Religion News Service, holding weekly conversations with inspiring spiritual leaders, civic exemplars, artists and activists. Prior to coming to Interfaith Alliance, Rev. Raushenbush served as senior vice president of the Auburn Seminary and as the founding and executive editor of HuffPost Religion. He is regularly invited to offer commentary on issues of religion and civil rights in national outlets including CNN, CBS, ABC, MSNBC, NPR, New York Times, Washington Post, the Guardian and Religion News Service. He has published two books and contributed essays to several volumes on faith in public life.

In this conversation, Rev. Raushenbush explains how the deeply corrupt and dangerous relationship between the Christian Right, Trumpism and the larger authoritarian project came into being and how it imperils American democracy and freedom. He warns that many members of the Christian Right literally believe that Trump has been sent to them by God so that they can impose their will on American society and see themselves as being in a type of holy war against the “Satanic” forces of “the Left,” “secular society,” and “liberals and progressives.” At the end of this conversation, Rev. Raushenbush reflects on what it means to be a “good Christian” in this time of democracy crisis and the Age of Trump.  

This is the second of a two-part conversation: 

Given his values, behavior and politics, how was Donald Trump able to win a majority of White Christians across almost all denominations? How do they reconcile such a decision given their supposed faith commitments and beliefs?

For those who are not true MAGA believers, but who voted for Trump, I think there is a sense of fear of a changing nation. They feel........

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