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Trump, God and the Bible: Why the President Leans So Much on Christianity

2020-06-03T19:19:54.813Z


The American president visited a degraded church by surprise Monday evening, in full protest in many cities of


Seen from France where the separation of Church and State is enshrined in law, the image inevitably surprises. On Monday evening, after finishing his short speech on the mass protests in the country after the death of George Floyd, Donald Trump went to the Church of Saint John, next to the White House and burnt down the day before. Bible in hand, he claimed to be at the head of a "great country". A sequence then reposted on the White House Twitter account.

Even if religious references are more common in the political world across the Atlantic, “it's grotesque to see him in front of a church after having chased a peaceful demonstration, without even being accompanied by representatives of all religions, and only to serve his picture. It is an instrumentalization of the religious for political ends ”, carried away Denis Lacorne, director of research at the Center for International Research (CERI) of Sciences Po and author in particular of the essay“ Of religion in America ”.

NEW VIDEO: Peaceful protestors were forcibly cleared outside the White House to make way for President Trump to walk across the street to St. John's Church for a photo op, holding a Bible, following Rose Garden remarks threatening to deploy the military into Americans cities. pic.twitter.com/YZG5EvNY44

- Good Morning America (@GMA) June 1, 2020

This reference to the Christian religion has in any case accompanied the policy of Donald Trump since the start of his mandate in January 2017. The American president has multiplied actions and words capable of satisfying the Christian electorate, in particular by defending the religious freedom and by tightening access to abortion. He was, for example, the first president to take part in the “March for Life”, on January 25th.

Appointments to the Supreme Court

Trump has also appointed two conservative judges to the Supreme Court, who should maintain a "hard line" on matters related to contraception, homosexuality, or discrimination against LGBT people. "It is his most significant gesture, which will tip the scales more heavily in favor of religious conservatives," said Mokhtar Ben Barka, professor of American civilization at the University of Valenciennes and specialist in religion in the United States, joined by Le Parisien. The United States is "a constitutionally secular country but socially included in religion," added the researcher.

In lyrics, Trump also stands out. According to a study by the University of Madison (Wisconsin) conducted in 2019, he is the president who uses the most religious and God references in his speeches. "God bless America", he repeats for example very regularly.

"The vote of the white evangelicals is completely won over to him"

The electoral context is of course no stranger to all of this. 81% of white evangelicals had voted for Trump in November 2016. Or an “extraordinary” score, he boasted on January 3 during a religious gathering of this branch of Christianity. If he wants to be re-elected on November 3, which he does not hide, he therefore has every interest in multiplying the signs of attention to them.

The proportion of evangelicals is declining in the United States, but they still make up 15% of the American population (65% is Christian). And these percentages are higher among Republicans alone. "The vote of the white evangelicals is completely won over to him, it is absolutely essential for him to keep this", points Denis Lacorne.

Another potential beneficial effect to display with a bible goes beyond the scope of practicing Christians and evangelicals, according to Mokhtar Ben Barka. “When America doubts, it appeals to religious symbols. This kind of gesture can also help cement American society and unite the country, which is currently very divided, ”he believes.

Trump, not very practicing

Nevertheless, certain acts of Donald Trump, three times married and twice divorced, could offend part of this religious electorate, in particular the Catholics. The American president "is not Christian", had estimated the pope François on February 18, 2016, questioned on the presidential project to build an "anti-immigrant wall" on the American-Mexican border. This had not prevented more than half of the Catholics in the United States from voting for him nine months later.

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What about his convictions? Trump, who is seen more at the weekend on golf greens than at church, is very discreet on this subject. “You can't question your faith, but it is still rather shaky. He has never been very active, ”said Mokhtar Ben Barka.

The American president had nevertheless assured that the Bible, on which each American head of state traditionally takes an oath, was his favorite book. But according to Omarosa Manigault-Newman, a former White House employee, he would have preferred to use one of his own works during his inauguration, reported Slate in August 2018. Before ensuring that he was joking.

Source: leparis

All news articles on 2020-06-03

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