OPINION: Christians, rethink your values if you voted for Trump
Photo via: The White House/Public domain/Wikimedia Commons
I, along with my family, am Christian. I grew up going to church on Sunday mornings with my parents. When I was younger, I would go to Sunday school after Mass and learn more about my faith with the other kids by reading and participating in fun, religion-centered activities.
In my eyes, church has always been seen as a loving and accepting environment filled with friendly faces. To me, that was always one of the most essential parts of being a Christian: creating a loving, accepting environment for everyone. Recently, however, many people who practice the Christian faith have not been advocating for that sort of environment as the majority of Christians used their vote on one of the least accepting people in America, President-elect Donald Trump.
Trump is one of the furthest things from a Christian that I can think of, and I firmly believe that some of his supporters hide behind their religion to try to make his acts, along with their own choices, excusable. By doing this, they are losing touch with what I believe it means to be a Christian.
First, let's take a look at some of the Ten Commandments. The First Commandment is “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.” Trump supporters glorify Trump in a way I’ve never seen any other politician be glorified. To be honest, it's scary to see. Not only that, but Trump loves it and can't get enough attention.
The Second Commandment forbids making idols. Many Trump-supporting Christians, and Trump supporters in general, have an idolatry for Trump and genuinely believe he can do no wrong. Despite how terrible Trump can be, supporters ignore his acts or try to justify them.
The Sixth Commandment is “Thou shalt not kill.” Trump has never actually murdered anyone. However, during his campaign in 2016, he said, "I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn't lose any voters, OK?” Now, imagine if Vice President Kamala Harris had said that during her campaign this year. The double standard is disgusting. During the Jan. 6 insurrection, Trump did not interfere with his followers chanting “Hang Mike Pence” after Pence chose the Constitution over Trump, which is what any decent politician would do. Five people died during the Capitol attack that Trump did not try to stop, and charging him with manslaughter was discussed. Another time that manslaughter was connected with Trump was after COVID-19 when he knowingly misled the public about the risk of COVID-19, and 400,000 Americans died under his presidency.
“Thou shalt not commit adultery” is The Seventh Commandment. Trump has been involved in numerous cheating scandals, starting with his affair with Marla Maples when he was married to his first wife, Ivana Zelníčková . He then married Maples in 1993, only to divorce in 1997. He began dating Melania Knauss soon after, and the two married in 2005. In 2016, adult film actress Stormy Daniels accepted 130,000 dollars from one of Trump’s lawyers for her silence on an alleged sexual encounter with Trump just months after he and Melania Trump were married. 2 years later, Playboy model Karen McDougal alleged she had a 10-month affair with Trump in 2006. From the 1970s to 2024, at least 27 women have publicly accused Trump of sexual misconduct. The most recent woman to accuse him of sexual misconduct is Stacy Williams, a former Sports Illustrated model, who claims that Trump groped her while Jeffery Epstein watched.
The Eighth Commandment states, “Thou shalt not steal.” Throughout Trump's career as a failed businessman, he ripped off countless employees. Public Citizen President Robert Weissman said, “For decades, Trump repeatedly didn’t pay those who worked for him.” Not to mention how Trump used charitable funds for his own political well-being.
Finally, the Ninth Commandment is the last worth mentioning. “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.” Trump lies constantly and gets away with it. A study even aimed to prove that Trump lies more than any other public official in the United States. Just a few of Trump’s many recent lies include the number of migrants who crossed the border during the Biden administration, the Federal Emergency Management Agency not responding to Hurricane Helene in North Carolina, and the length of the southern border wall. If I were to account every time Trump has lied to Americans, we would be here all day. Presidential historian Michael Beschloss said, “I have never seen a president in American history who has lied so continuously and so outrageously as Donald Trump, period.”
Regarding the Seven Deadly Sins, it's no surprise that Trump doesn't do well in that category either.
Though Trump offers many examples for each sin, I've added one quote I believe sums up each sin. For Pride, Trump has made it clear how highly he thinks of himself, saying, “Nobody’s ever been more successful than me.” Next, Wrath. Trump has quite a temper and has even been described as an “8-year-old having a temper tantrum.” For Sloth, Bill Scher wrote an article on how Trump was “running the laziest of his three campaigns.”Regarding Gluttony, we are all familiar with Trump’s Diet Coke obsession. The Times wrote, "On Trump Force One, the 24-carat-plated aircraft with a master bedroom and concert-level sound system, there were four major food groups: McDonald’s, Kentucky Fried Chicken, pizza and Diet Coke.”
To me, the most disgusting of the Seven Deadly Sins that Trump takes part in is Lust. In an Access Hollywood tape, Trump can be heard saying, “I’m automatically attracted to beautiful — I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait. When you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab ’em by the p***y. You can do anything.” For Envy, The New Republic wrote, “Trump could barely contain his envy upon hearing the Russian leader’s fondness for Biden, “admonishing” Putin and acting more like a jealous girlfriend than a political leader.” Finally, there is Greed, which speaks for itself. Even Trump himself is aware of his own greed, saying, “I like money. I’m very greedy. I’m a greedy person. I shouldn’t tell you that, I’m a greedy — I’ve always been greedy. I love money, right?”
Even with all of these examples and many more, Trump still wins the Christian vote. I have spoken to many Christians who have said that they didn't vote at all because they put their faith in God's hands and not the President’s. A lot of people have also taken to social media, posting things such as, “No matter who wins, Jesus is King.” As a Christian myself, I believe those words to be true; however, what I do not understand is what that has to do with the election. There is no correlation between the two, and it’s a privilege to be able to post those messages and decide not to vote, with no concern for what Trump's re-election will bring to those other than yourself.
No one is perfect, and Christians are bound to sin at times. I'm not saying, and would never say, that all Christians who voted for Trump are bad people, and I'm certainly not trying to paint myself as a better Christian than others. But if you voted for and supported Trump due to your Christian faith, I advise you to please do your research. Trump is not an example of a good Christian, and no one should treat him as one. Trump knows how to manipulate people into thinking he is.
I want to leave everyone with Matthew 22:37-39. “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." By voting for a racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, sexual abuser, and felon, you are not loving your neighbor. You are supporting Trump’s agenda of hate and fear.
Please note that the views and opinions expressed in this story do not reflect those of The New Political.