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Only Trump’s “Morality” Holds Him Back?

Only Trump’s “Morality” Holds Him Back?

Last updated on: January 14, 2026 at 1:16 pm by Roger E. Olson

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Only Trump’s “Morality” Holds Him Back? 2026-01-14T13:16:18-05:00 Roger E. Olson

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I heard it and was flabbergasted. When asked what could hold him back from acting in world affairs, Trump said “Only my morality.” He went on to say that his own morality is in his mind and that he doesn’t want to hurt anyone.

Every dictator thinks only his own morality limits him. That is what makes him a dictator. But the question for Trump and all dictators is what constitutes his own morality?

Besides the fact that what Trump said is an indication of a dictator’s mind, there is the fact that the whole US government is based on “checks and balances,” on the three equal branches of government—executive, legislative, and judicial. This is the genius of our experiment in democracy. No single branch of government is held back only by its own morality. The branches hold each other back.

What Trump said is a clear signal of his desire to rule over whatever part of the world he believes it is right for him to rule over. As we all know, power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. That is why we have three equal branches of government, to restrain power.

I am absolutely flabbergasted that seemingly reasonable people, including many Christians, continue to support Trump uncritically. Many of them still think he is a Christian in spite of the fact that he said he has never repented. I could give many other examples of things Trump has said and done that, as a Christian theologian, I cannot recognize or acknowledge as consistent with true Christianity.

If Trump uses force to take over Greenland, then he and his supporters need to apologize to Putin. That would be no different than Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Has American democracy run its course? That is the big question that confronts all Americans. It appears that it may have done.

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