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thoughtfulpastor

Donald Trump, The New Adam, A Moral Coward

Last updated on: February 14, 2026 at 2:39 pm   by Christy Thomas

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Donald Trump, The New Adam, A Moral Coward 2026-02-14T14:39:21-05:00 Christy Thomas

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He saw it, and he remained silent–thus perpetuating the sin of the first man, the first moral coward. Let’s call it for what it is: If you choose to protect the rich and powerful over the young and vulnerable, you have earned the wrath of hell.


A moral coward: Trump's crown turns to black ashes

What a moral coward looks like, Image credit: ChatGPT


Barton Swaim, an editorialist for the Wall Street Journal, after his usual denigration of those who disagrees with him, particularly we despised “liberals” (by the way, I assume he likes his clean water, unadulterated milk and untainted beef—all available because of us misguided, ignorant “liberals”), writes in the Feb 12 2026 edition of the Wall Street Journal that Jeffrey Epstein was a “charming, lavishly generous and intellectually conversant epicure.”

Swaim sees no importance in making any distinction between those who continued to engage with Epstein after the revelations of his sexual proclivities and those who did not, asserting that they were simply availing themselves of the delight of his “charming” company. He also insists that in no way did Mr. Trump ever have any involvement with Mr. Epstein’s documented delight in despoiling and destroying the lives of young girls.

And then he writes:

Today’s liberals spend a lot of energy discoursing on the American right’s pathologies, often justly. But it ought to bother them that 20 years ago the man they loathe most took a look at Jeffrey Epstein’s conduct and got the hell out of there.

And that is that—because Trump may have high-tailed it out of there when the despicable Epstein finally crossed a line even the morally-impaired Donald could not stomach, we are supposed to praise him, bow in eternal gratefulness to him and thank God, the white nationalists, the Evangelicals and the Republican party profusely for anointing him the Savior of the United States.

BUT: Did the heroic Donald Trump do ONE SINGLE THING to stop this? Did he bother to call the local authorities? To shout to the sky about the damage being done to girls there?


Donald Trump, as usual, chose the coward’s way.

Nope. He, as usual, chose the coward’s way: stay silent, safe, and protect his own hide.

Claim the bone spurs and stay out of combat. Let someone else take the hit for reporting it, and then insist he knew about it all along, that his enemies, i.e., Democrats, were the perps and express relief that it was finally exposed—except when he finds out that his cronies are deeply embedded in Epstein’s life and then do everything possible to ensure that none of them face any consequences.

And thus once more, the sin of the Biblical first man, commonly known as Adam (literally, the “earth creature”), is repeated. This first man stood silently beside the woman, his partner, the bone of his bones, as the Serpent assaulted her mind and soul with lies and flattery.

Ultimately, the man gets to taste, savor and eat that forbidden fruit. When confronted, he, of course, places all the blame on her, his life partner, the one created to make him complete and no longer alone.

And, as one of my sons once asked me, when I was telling them the temptation story, “Why didn’t the man pick up a tree limb and beat the s**t out of the serpent?”

This is the theological question for the ages!

So why didn’t he? Easy-peasy answer: by staying silent, the Adam, the one created in the image of God, the one would could have it all except for one thing, might enjoy the delicious fruits of deceit and lies, embrace the pleasures of the flesh, no matter the cost to his soul or to others, give in to the desire to be like God, blame it all on his partner, and then claim utter innocence.

And so Mr. Trump, perhaps finally at his disgust point (maybe a nine-year-old girl being raped?) decided not pick up the phone and tell the authorities about Epstein’s utter degradation.

Instead, Donald Trump, like that first man, has continued to enjoy the power that living with endless lies and destruction of others and claiming god-like attributes brings. And along the way, he assumes the noble mantle of being “pro-life.”


The Lives and Well-being of Girls and Women Have No Value To Moral Cowards

And you, Mr. Swaim: you have bartered your soul away with this one. You have made it clear: The lives and well-being of girls and women have no value to you. Zip. Zero. And I bet you, also, call yourself “pro-life.”

But I say to you, Barton Swaim, to Donald Trump, to Pam Bondi, to most Republicans in Congress, and to anyone else who collaborates with or stays silent in the face of the refusal to investigate and shout to the rooftops the name of every single person who was involved in Epstein’s routine destruction of girls to satisfy sexual perversion: “You are a liar. You protect the predator. You are not pro-life—unless the fetus proves to be a male, born at a cost you cannot imagine to the female body. Truly, you have put the pro-life position to a lie because you have now exposed yourself as being anti-female. You, above all, deserve deep condemnation.”

Let’s call it for what it is: If you choose to protect the rich and powerful over the young and vulnerable, you have earned the wrath of hell.

I’m not one of those who think the idea of eternal conscious torment is a particularly good idea or biblically consistent, but you, you protectors of these despicable human beings, come as close as anyone I know to deserve being cast in it.

I will add here, “May God have mercy on your soul.”

I trust that mercy is given generously when repentance appears—and that is what I am waiting to see.

Go to your knees, Mr. Swaim. Donald Trump, Pam Bondi, and every other person who has chosen silence and self-protection while gazing upon these evils. On those knees of deep repentance, may you find grace. At that point, you must put your energies on the side of those who have so egregiously been sinned against.

When that happens, I pray that the light will surround and comfort you. But not until then. No, not until then. Otherwise, I don’t have to condemn you, for your silence does it for me.

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About Christy Thomas

The Thoughtful Pastor is one woman’s way of making sense of the world, particularly the intersecting worlds of religion, business, and politics. I think, question, and connect odd dots. I find delight in ambiguity and mystery and find little tolerance of those who call themselves people of God and then use that self-description as a way to abuse others. You can read more about the author here.

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