Trump’s stunning admission about his evangelical support

Last updated on: August 23, 2016 at 2:39 pm by Jacob Lupfer

Trump’s stunning admission about his evangelical support 2016-08-23T14:39:04-04:00 Jacob Lupfer

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Image credit: Pixabay

When Donald Trump accepted the Republican Party’s presidential nomination at the GOP convention in Cleveland last month, his speech deviated from the prepared remarks in notable ways.

Trump is very comfortable speaking extemporaneously. He quite clearly relishes the cameras’ attention. He seems to dislike the idea and the practice of reading from a Teleprompter. But a significant deviation went largely unnoticed when Trump spoke of his support among evangelicals.

Note the difference between the text as prepared and what Trump actually said.

PREPARED REMARKS:
At this moment, I would like to thank the evangelical community who have been so good to me and so supportive. You have so much to contribute to our politics, yet our laws prevent you from speaking your minds from your own pulpits.

TRANSCRIPT:
At this moment, I would like to thank the evangelical community because, I will tell you what, the support they have given me — and I’m not sure I totally deserve it — has been so amazing. And has been such a big reason I’m here tonight. They have much to contribute to our policies.

This is a stunning admission. It goes a long way toward explaining the gullibility and double standards that underlie evangelicals’ Trump support.

Trump is aware that he knows or cares little (if at all) about evangelicals’ key public-policy priorities. He promises pro-life Supreme Court justices, despite little evidence that he thinks about the legality and morality of abortion in evangelicals’ terms. Trump gives lip service to religious liberty, but consistently misapplies this principle, promising evangelicals something they are not even asking for and largely ignoring the things they care about deeply.

So when he says he doesn’t deserve evangelicals’ support, Trump is being honest. He does not deserve their support. So this section of the speech came across as Trump saying, I can’t believe I’m getting away with this.

The nominal Presbyterian continues to enjoy staggering levels of support from even churchgoing evangelicals. Trump offers the deluded promise that he is going to boost church attendance and make Sunday school great again. But not one evangelical Trump disciple seems to notice or care that Donald Trump, whether he lives at 725 Fifth Avenue in New York or 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, is not going back to church and Sunday school, now or ever.

Trump knows he doesn’t deserve evangelicals’ support. They should think hard about what makes them so eager to give it to him.

#Faith2016

Christian right

Republican Convention

Donald Trump

Evangelicals

Previous Post

August 23, 2016

Hillary Clinton's low-risk, low-cost, low-reward Mormon outreach

Next Post

August 24, 2016 Did Christian intellectuals withdraw or were they forced out?

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category #Faith2016 Christian right Christianity Debates Democratic Convention Donald Trump GOP nominating contest Inauguration Media News roundup Personal Polls Religious freedom Republican Convention Uncategorized

Select a Month February 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 August 2017 July 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz