Consider for a moment the sort of person in whom you want to put your trust, who you believe can represent your interests, values, ethics and those of the entire nation. What would that sort of person look like? We obviously cannot expect an ideal candidate, for all of our criteria to be met, but we still need to be wise in discerning what sort of compromises we are willing to make. I believe that with Donald Trump presently the leading as the Republican nominee, we have compromised far too much. Most of these people are professing Christians, and I think that by supporting Donald Trump, they are acting in a way that is unwise, thoughtless, and that they are putting their trust in a man who is patently of low moral repute. There are at least 5 reasons Christians should not support Donald Trump.
He is a self-promoter, a master-brander, and he is playing on the fears and frustrations of the nation. Donald Trump’s signature best-selling book is, as you likely know, The Art of The Deal. He expounds upon how he applied his negotiating and salesmanship skills to turn that small loan of a million dollars that his father gave him into billions upon billions of dollars. He is, as he reminds us, a very rich and very successful businessman. He is a master salesman and a master brander. He knows what people want, and he knows how to exploit it. This is one of the most precious skills that a human being can have and may be applied to any discipline – even when campaigning for President of the United States. For what is he trying to sell to the American people, if not himself? That is what sales is – you are selling not just the product, but yourself, and if the customer likes you, they will buy from you.
Donald Trump is using his skills as a negotiator to sell himself to the American public. He asks himself what the American public wants and how he can exploit it. Hence, we see him echoing the mantras, fears, and frustrations that we all share. I am sure I have written about the folly of political-correctness a few times, as has every conservative and every Christian. Donald Trump recognizes that, and so, he is constantly talking about it because he recognizes that we are frustrated with that. Similarly, when there is a terrorist attack, Trump will play on the fears of the Americans and say, “I would bomb them right now.” In a moment like that, when we are afraid, Trump will play on our emotions and give us what we want, even if it is not feasible in reality or even if that is what the current administration is already doing. He sees what we want in a candidate and he is exploiting it. That is what he does. That is his expertise. That is one of 5 reasons Christians should not support Donald Trump. He is packaging himself as what we want and selling himself to the American people.
He said that he would kill the families of terrorists. When I first heard this, I thought the media must be taking him out of context. He must have been speaking symbolically or something, as if to say, “I would utterly destroy ISIS.” Surely, he could not literally mean that he would murder their families. The media must be twisting his words around to create a controversial headline.
But when he was pressed by Bill O’Reilly, he crystalized his intentions. He said that when the World Trade Center came down the families of the terrorists must have known what these terrorists were going to do, so their slaying would be justified. He went on to say, “I would cause them great distress… I don’t want to be so bold [as to say that I would kill them] but they would suffer.” Donald Trump would punish wives and children for the actions of a terrorist. What manner of justice is this? Is this really a Christ-like ethic? This is one of 5 reasons Christians should not support Donald Trump.
He would not allow Muslim immigrants into the United States. This is the latest (as of this writing) Trumpism. Referring to it as a policy that he would enact, he said that he would disallow all Muslim travelers to the United States. His critics have been justifiably merciless about this. After all, radical jihadists have been striving to portray the as a war between the United States and Islam, between Christianity and Islam, so as to call new recruits. That is why President Obama has been so careful to say, “We are not at war with Islam.” If Donald Trump’s foreign policy were enacted, the terrorists would rejoice as their ranks fattened and we became considerably weaker.
Consider the treatment of foreigners prescribed in the Bible. Leviticus 19:34 reads, “The foreigner who resides with you must be to you like a native.” Deuteronomy 10:19 tells us, “And you are to love those who are foreigners.” Exodus 22:21 emphasizes, “Do not mistreat or oppress a foreigner, for you were foreigners in Egypt.” Is this really reflective on Donald Trump’s proposed foreign policy? Are we really treating domestic Muslims with this sort of equality and kindness if we are to enact his foreign policy? That is one of 5 reasons Christians should not support Donald Trump.
He does not think before he speaks. It seems like every time Donald Trump makes a speech, he is saying something outrageous. He is coming into the national spotlight because he made some outlandish claim that was just an attempt to play on the emotions of the Americans or attack another candidate. Recall how he treated Megyn Kelly, when he referred to her “bleeding.” Think of when he said that John McCain and all POWs were not true war heroes because they were captured by the enemy. Consider when he attacked the character of Ben Carson for as being pathologically sick. He made fun of a handicapped reporter who criticized him.
With these incidents alone, one wonders how he is leading in the polls, and yet these are mild compared to when he said that he would murder families, prevent Muslims travelers, bomb cities, et cetera. How in the world is this man leading in the polls? Can you imagine the President, with all of his power, making such cavalier and reckless remarks? He takes no precautions and makes no apologies. Islamic terrorists would feast upon clips of his speeches and use them as recruitment tools. This is one of 5 reasons Christians should not support Donald Trump.
There are other candidates with a strong moral character. They all have their flaws and one could mount an argument against any of them. Some may be in favor of the establishment or lacking political experience. But these conservative candidates have a strong moral background and character. They are of high moral repute and have labored for years to live out their faith. Men such as Mike Huckabee, Ben Carson, Ted Cruz, et cetera, are all worthy nominees who we should consider before Donald Trump.
I am not specifically endorsing any of them. This blogpost is not an attempt to score points for my favorite candidate. I am just saying that there are other candidates with real virtue and sincerity. This is one of 5 reasons Christians should not support Donald Trump. There are other candidates who stand for the same thing but actually believe in what they are representing, are not pulling a fast one on the American people. There are candidates who truly do have a strong moral character. We do not need Donald Trump.
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