At Thursday’s National Day of Prayer Breakfast, Trump praised evangelical leaders, professed his own faith, and signed an executive order to assemble his own faith-based office that The Washington Post explains is “intended to signal to religious groups that they have a voice in the government.”
Besides the fact that this is a blatant violation of the commitment to separate church and state, Trump’s appearance at a Christian event is the very definition of hypocrisy, and his support by evangelical leaders is even worse. While most of his supporters have clearly stated that they don’t care which sins Trump has committed, Christian leaders should care.
TRUMP: "We are truly blessed to have a vice president and a second lady who believe in the power of prayer and the glory of god and they do believe. I'm with them a lot. They believe. Thank you, Mike." pic.twitter.com/r7ebkeDBK6
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 3, 2018
Perhaps now is a perfect time to review all of the dictates of the Christian Bible that Trump has ignored during his life as a businessman, during his presidential campaign, and during his presidency.
‘You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.’
Immediately prior to Trump’s speech at the breakfast, he admitted to lying about his knowledge of payments made to an adult film star by his personal attorney, Michael Cohen. Previously, he denied any knowledge of that payment.
‘Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body.’
Trump has publicly bragged about his status as a “ladies man,” most clearly during a leaked audio tape of his conversation with Access Hollywood‘s Billy Bush, when he confessed to sexual assault. While he offered a half-baked apology for those statements, his justification centered around Bill Clinton’s private statements about women being far worse…because that absolves him of wrongdoing in his mind.
Today, @POTUS will sign an EO creating a new faith-based initiative, and will continue the @WhiteHouse tradition that dates to President Truman of proclaiming the National Day of Prayer. #NationalDayOfPrayer
https://t.co/25HuusGnr4— Sarah Sanders (@PressSec) May 3, 2018
‘You shall not commit adultery.’
An affair during his current, third marriage with an adult film star, a Playboy playmate, as well as his previous and very public affairs when he committed adultery during his prior two marriages, should draw condemnations from these religious leaders, but they’ve given him a “mulligan” on those particular sins according to Family Research Council President Tony Perkins.
‘Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else.’
Just how often has Trump compared himself favorably to the “sick” President Obama or the “crooked” Hillary Clinton? A scan of his Twitter page would reveal hundreds of those comparisons.
Pres. Trump: "Prayer has always been at the center of American life, because America is a nation of believers." https://t.co/NkJuIoh4fP pic.twitter.com/q7IesOriNN
— ABC News (@ABC) May 3, 2018
‘No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.’
Trump brags about his personal wealth, even saying once that “the beauty of me is that I’m very rich.” That seems to fly in the face of the words of Jesus Christ written in the Bible.
‘If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?’
Trump, who owns numerous gold mansions to display his personal wealth, is pushing to end assistance to families for food, housing, and access to medical care.
Did any religious leaders boycott the Rose Garden prayer ceremony with Trump, happening now? Just asking. Integrity is so hard to find these days.
— Larry Sabato (@LarrySabato) May 3, 2018
If Trump is what passes for a Christian these days, the Bible must have undergone some pretty significant revisions. See his full speech below:
Featured image screengrab via YouTube
