‘Ibelieve we all witnessed a miracle,” testified Marjorie Taylor Greene, Donald Trump’s most ardent Congressional supporter, “Before it [the shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania] happened, the flag above got blown in the wind and got tied into what looked literally like an angel.” O me of little faith, I missed it. However, one must put aside personal doubts when considering the effect of divine providence on those who believe it has saved them. Before the battle of the Milvian Bridge in 312 AD, the Roman Emperor Constantine had a vision of the Greek Chi Rho, which symbolises Jesus Christ. Below it, came the words: “In this sign, thou shalt conquer.” He embraced Christianity, thus endowing it with temporal power. Fact or fiction, this story has shaped subsequent history, sacred and (more often) profane.

Speaking to the Republican National Convention on Thursday night, Donald Trump tried to give credit where credit was due. He stood before them, he told the audience, only by “the grace of Almighty God”. “I had God on my side,” he added, rather as if the guy were an exceptionally high-net-worth Republican backer with a top-notch security detail. And in J?D Vance, his newly announced choice for vice-president, Mr Trump has as his running-mate an explicitly Christian (Catholic) writer, who can do the theological bits in which The Donald, let us be honest, has never shown deep interest.

Connoisseurs of political theatre can only applaud the Republicans for what they have pulled off this week. They have provided a breathtaking spectacle of faith, courage, ardour, razzmatazz and general MAGAlomania, from which Trump the near-jailbird and pantomime villain has emerged as Trump the Saviour. At the same time, the rival playhouse of the Democrats has gone dark. Poor President Biden, at first forgetful of........

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