Paul Begala, a Democratic strategist, has criticized Donald Trump for his Christmas social media post – but is the former President actually a Christian? Many Americans think not.
Trump’s Christmas Message
Trump’s post read: “Merry Christmas to all, including Crooked Joe Biden’s ONLY HOPE, Deranged Jack Smith, the out of control Lunatic who just hired outside attorneys, fresh from the SWAMP (unprecedented!), to help him with his poorly executed WITCH HUNT.”
Evil and Sick
Later, the former President added: “None are as evil and sick as the THUGS we have inside our Country who, with their Open Borders, INFLATION, Afghanistan Surrender, Green New Scam, High Taxes, No Energy Independence, Woke Military, Russia/Ukraine, Israel/Iran, All Electric Car Lunacy, and so much more, are looking to destroy our once great USA. MAY THEY ROT IN HELL. AGAIN, MERRY CHRISTMAS!”
A Dictator for a Day
Begala said Trump’s words contradicted Christian values and expressed concerns regarding the former President and dictatorship. “He wants to be a dictator. He says just for a day but let’s see,” he said.
The Importance of a Response
The strategist went on to discuss the importance of responding to Trump’s tirade: “I think the way Democrats and Republicans running against him respond to this is important. I don’t think they should pearl clutch. They need to turn this against him.”
Trump and Blasphemy
Begala didn’t shy from harsh language in his criticism, going on to accuse Trump of blasphemy. “It’s like this comment about Christmas, telling people to rot in Hell… you know I am a Christian. That’s blasphemy,” he said.
Intentionally Using Christmas
Begala elaborated, suggesting that the former President was intentionally using Christmas to spread an ant-Christian message: “A lot of people will say this is our holy day, our savior, the light of the world, the Prince of Peace…he is using that to blasphemy and say rot in Hell.”
Religious Leaders Speaking Out
He went on to discuss the importance of religious leaders speaking out against Trump’s message: “I want to see church leaders on this. I am a Catholic. I want to see my bishops and cardinals speak out on this.”
Begala Doubled Down
Doubling down on his point, Begala said he also wanted to see Christian leaders from other denominations speak out: “I want to see evangelical leaders speak out. I want to see the leaders of our great Christian universities to speak out on this.”
Nothing Christian in Trump’s Words
Begala concluded by claiming there was “nothing Christian” about the former President’s words: “It can have an effect if people of good faith and my faith stand up and say there’s nothing Christian about telling people to rot in Hell on Christmas day.”
Donald Trump’s Religion
Trump has made a point of presenting himself as a Christian throughout his time as a politician – but many Americans disagree. According to the Pew Research Center, 34% of adults say they’re not sure what the former President’s religion is and 16% say he has no religion.
Not Religious at All
In the same survey, 23% said Trump is “not too” religious, 40% said he’s not religious “at all,” and 28% said he’s “somewhat” religious. Only 7% described the former President as “very religious.”
Republicans, Democrats, and Trump’s Religion
Opinions on the matter varied considerably between Republicans and Democrats. Sixty-two percent of GOP voters said Trump is “very” or “somewhat” religious, compared to only 12% of Democrat voters.
No Religion in Particular
When Americans were asked to name Trump’s specific religion, they struggled. Sixteen percent said he has “no religion,” a statistic including 13% who said his religion is “nothing in particular” and 2% who described him as an atheist.
Self, Money, and Power
Five percent said the former President’s religion is “something else.” When asked to elaborate, they said he worships himself, he worships money, he worships power, and that he only pretends to be religious.
A Huge Difference
As with the previous question, the statistics were very different when Republicans and Democrats were separated. Sixty percent of Republicans said Trump is Christian, compared to 31% of Democrats.
The Pope on Trump
Before Trump’s first term as president, Pope Francis criticized his behavior as “not Christian.” He said: “A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges is not Christian. This is not in the gospel.”
Donald Trump’s Response
In response, the now-former President said: “For a religious leader to question a person’s faith is disgraceful. I’m proud to be a Christian and, as President, I will not allow Christianity to be consistently attacked and weakened.”
A Long Debate
Trump’s religion is something that’s been debated and discussed for a long time. While he says he’s a Protestant, many Americans believe he only claims this to garner support from religious voters. Whether their theory is true or not remains to be seen.
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