Ex-president turning to Christian nationalists for support as Kamala Harrisās potential nomination poses hard challenge
Donald Trump, now facing a tougher challenge in the US election after Joe Biden stepped down in favor of Kamala Harris, is increasingly leaning into religious extremism aimed at energizing a key section of his support base: socially conservative Christians.
Fears that Trump would be an authoritarian leader if elected seemed to be realized last week, when he told a group of Christian supporters they āwould not have to voteā in four years if he becomes president.
āMy theory would be that since Harris has entered the race, Trump has recognized that heās on shakier ground,ā said Matthew D Taylor, author ofĀ The Violent Take It by Force: The Christian Movement That Is Threatening Our Democracy.
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Since 2016, Trump has become an unlikely hero for Christian nationalists ā a loose grouping of evangelical Christians who believe the US was founded as a Christian nation, and want to seeĀ Christianity feature prominently in American life and politics.
After a stumbling start ā during his first run for president the thrice-married TrumpĀ struggled to nameĀ a single Bible verse, referred to the Eucharist as aĀ ālittle crackerā, andĀ put money in the communion plateĀ during a church visit ā the relationship was cemented when Trump-installed supreme court justices overturnedĀ Roe v Wade.
The bond between Trump and Christian nationalists has now deepened to the extent that Trump is comfortable withĀ comparing himselfĀ with their messiah, while some on the religious right haveĀ come to believeĀ that the one-term president has been chosen, or anointed, by God himself, especially after a recent failed assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania.
This has been the go to move in the Republican playbook since the 80s. However, letās hope this move continues to have less power: āToday, 24% of U.S. adults describe themselves as born-again or evangelical Protestants, down 6 percentage points since 2007.ā