Charlie Shamp, a Christian moving through certain religious circles with the branding of a prophet, is expressing support for Florida GOP Governor Ron DeSantis eventually becoming president after previously backing Donald Trump, who’s running again, through the 2020 election.
Shamp didn’t specify that he’d be supporting DeSantis specifically for 2024, but that could be attributable to the fact the governor, despite widespread talk of him potentially running and polls showing he’d do well, hasn’t actually announced a campaign. Shamp was discussing his stance on a television show hosted by the longtime Christian evangelist Jim Bakker, and on the air, Shamp was providing his interpretation, which he traced back to God, of a vision he said he had showing DeSantis as on the level of none other than conservative hero Ronald Reagan. “We need to watch Ron DeSantis,” Shamp said. “Because the Lord is going to use him in a powerful way.” He got more specific, discussing a so-called vision he said he had of two trees, one of which he says God told him represented Reagan. The other — you guessed it — was supposed to be DeSantis.
“There’s something about Ron DeSantis that we need to begin to pray for,” Shamp continued. “Because his ultimate future is to have a position in the United States as the president.” The sentiments, shared with an audience including cable viewers on high-profile providers like DirecTV, perhaps suggest some are getting ready to jump on the DeSantis bandwagon if he ever actually confirms he’s running for president, since it’s a little difficult to make a firm prediction about someone who’s not running.
In general, polling suggests DeSantis is just about the only potentially serious challenger to Trump in a primary match-up. Some polls show him leading, although Trump also leads in some surveys. (Nikki Haley, the ex-governor and former Trump administration official who recently announced a campaign and seems suspiciously unwilling to go after Trump although that’s who she’s ostensibly challenging, generally polls in the single digits.)
Rolling Stone, relying on the insights of Matthew Taylor of an organization called the Institute for Islamic, Christian, and Jewish Studies, explained how the prophecies of a second term for Trump that obviously didn’t prove to be accurate didn’t lead to a widespread rejection of faith in these circles. “Charismatic prophets believe that they “declare the will of God,” but that the future is not preordained, Taylor explains,” per Rolling Stone. Human intervention and the meddling of supernatural forces can both lead to hurdles, lending an oddly spiritual slant to the beliefs that propelled the Capitol riot, whether these people were legitimately ensnared or just using an excuse for violence. Some of these folks weren’t just fighting Democrats. In their perceptions, they were challenging demons.
