U.S. President, Donald Trump has a symbiotic relationship with conservative evangelical religious leaders. Though he doesn’t know much about the Bible, and is a secular New Yorker, yet 60 percent of white evangelicals approve of Mr. Trump.
“Trump has been focused like a laser beam on the evangelical vote since the day he entered the presidential race in June 2015, and that has never changed,” said Ralph Reed, founder and chairman of the Faith and Freedom Coalition, who said Trump called religious leaders repeatedly during the campaign.
Several people who know Trump say he appreciates that evangelicals have been loyal to him — and he wants to keep them in the fold, almost as he would valuable business customers.
Evangelical Christians have been pleased by a number of his decisions, like nominating Neil Gorsuch for the Supreme Court, his willingness to fight abortion, his religious liberty executive order and his stance on Israel, according to Reed and others. They also praise him for opposing Planned Parenthood and promising to push for religious leaders to be allowed to endorse in political races. More than anything, several religious leaders said, they feel Trump is fighting for them in a cultural war that has been heading in the other direction.
“They believe they have a commander in chief that is effectively using the bully pulpit to advance a Judeo-Christian framework that has been minimized, scrutinized and ostracized for the last few decades,” said David Brody, who has enjoyed tremendous access to White House officials as a correspondent for the Christian Broadcasting Network. He says his viewers overwhelmingly support Trump and see him as unfairly under attack.
Trump alluded to that exact notion during a recent speech, promising that he is “stopping cold the attacks on Judeo-Christian values” and declaring the war on Christmas is over. “They don’t use the word ‘Christmas’ because it’s not politically correct,” Trump said to heavy applause. “Well, guess what? We’re saying ‘Merry Christmas’ again.” Then he added, “Times have changed, but now they’re changing back again.”
Those who have known Trump longest guffaw at his approach to evangelicals and say they believe he is only pandering. Even some of the religious leaders who wanted to praise Trump publicly asked to go off the record and say they don’t believe the self-described Presbyterian is religious.
Barbara Res, a longtime Trump executive, said she was “amazed” at his executive action on contraception, in which he allowed virtually any employer to claim a religious or moral objection to Obamacare’s birth control coverage mandate… He doesn’t care about that, ” Res said. “He has no idea what he signed. They just gave him that to sign.”
Timothy O’Brien, a longtime Trump biographer, said the president’s family wasn’t religiously observant and that Trump had attended church only occasionally over the years. “He has never, ever been consumed with classic Christian values like ‘love your neighbor’ and ‘treat others as you want to be treated,’” O’Brien said. “He has never tried to live by the values of the Bible. He is completely cynical about it.”
But Trump and his team have paid special care to their relationship with the evangelical community. The White House has called Christian leaders for input on a range of issues, including economic and foreign policy matters not closely associated with the religious community, said Johnnie Moore, a religious leader close to Trump. “They talk to us constantly,” Moore said.
Vice-President Mike Pence is beloved by many evangelicals, and Reed said many of his friends have visited the White House more often since January than in decades. On several occasions, Trump has brought pastors into the Oval Office for photos. One adviser said Trump keeps a family Bible in the residence and has told people he has opened it from time to time.
Trump has granted interviews with Brody, Pat Robertson and others of the Christian Broadcasting Network. White House officials have told Brody that they see the network as important and that it provides fairer treatment, with questions that often focus on issues that are less contentious than the Russia probe, his administration’s legislative failures and chaos in the White House.
“Do we have phenomenal access?” Brody said. “Yes, we absolutely do.” Mr. Trump has left many of the pastors impressed with his promises to fulfill their agenda and Trump often knows how to charm.
To fulfill Revelation 13:11-12, the United States must become much more powerful and much more religious. We are well on the way.
“In the last conflict the Sabbath will be the special point of controversy throughout all Christendom. Secular rulers and religious leaders will unite to enforce the observance of the Sunday; and as milder measures fail, the most oppressive laws will be enacted.” Maranatha, page 188.