I have a friend who always asks me why I am so “negative” about the United States. Why am I so full of criticism about Trump and the Republicans? Why can I not be optimistic and find more “balance” and “joy” in the world? Isn’t everything in God’s hands? Doesn’t HE know what he is doing? Are not all the “bad” or “confusing” things going on the world part of God’s plan? Let’s just look on the bright side, be optimistic, and leave things to God.
What my friend seems to miss is the reality of actual evil in the world. In this life, God allows evil in order to test us and educate us, but He does NOT plan or manage the evil. His desire is for us, His children, to grow and be happy. His wants us to learn how to recognize, and consistently resist, all forms of evil – because evil leads to misery.
I am a generally happy, optimistic, person, but where I see evil, I actively point it out and resist it. That, in my view, is not me being “negative.” It is me trying to obey God.
What is evil?
To a moral person with a clear mind, evil is not hard to recognize. If people, of ANY race, creed, color, or nation, are being hurt, in any way, the person, organization, or country causing the hurt is committing evil. If our planet is being plundered, not to provide for human needs, but merely for the sake of profit, that is evil. There is a vast difference between plundering and responsible harvesting.
If the quality of consumer products (especially food) is being degraded in order to squeeze out every penny of profit – that company is evil. If an employer lives in luxury while his employees can’t afford food and rent – that employer is evil.
According to this definition of evil, the American Republican Party is, and has long been, evil to the core. It’s every impulse is to serve wealth (i.e. “power and gain”) rather than the needs of regular people. When asked why our country doesn’t have better-funded schools, or healthcare for all, any Republican will always answer, “We cannot afford it.” Yet, when the military industrial complex asks Congress for more money, somehow billions of dollars suddenly become available.
Evil in our current government
Wo unto the liar, for he shall be thrust down to hell.
-2 Nephi 9:34
Following the example of their leader, members of the current adminstration are guilty of the evils of lying, mass murder, the spread of preventable disease, destruction of public property, pollution of the environment, political and financial corruption, disregarding the Constitution and the rule of law, nepotism, theft of public funds, misuse of government authority, racism, threats and bullying, institutional violence, shameless incompetence, and cruel malignant narcissism. This is certainly someone’s plan — but it is not from God.
It’s ultimately our own fault
I cannot be silent when I see plain evil being done by people in our government. I am shocked that we have allowed these behaviors to become the new normal. As citizens in a democratic republic, the ultimate responsibility for actions done by our government rests with us. We gave these people the power to do the evil things they are doing with our votes.
Nevertheless, when the wicked rule the people mourn.
-Doctrine and Covenants 98:9
Naming names
To clear my name from the long list of American citizens who are, directly and indirectly, responsible for our current evil government, I hereby denounce the following people, and declare that I have NEVER voted for or supported any of these people in any way:
- Donald John Trump
- James David Vance
- Stephen Nathan Miller – Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Homeland Security
- Howard William Lutnik – Secretary of Commerce
- Scott Kenneth Homer Bessent – Secretary of the Treasury
- Russell Thurlow Vought – Director of the Office of Management and Budget
- Peter Kent Navarro – Director of the Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy
- Peter Brian Hegseth – Secretary of Defense (War)
- Marco Antonio Rubio – Secretary of State
- Robert Francis Kennedy, Jr. – Secretary of Health and Human Services
- Thomas Douglas Homan – Former Acting Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement
- Kashyap Pramod Patel- Director of the FBI
- Douglas James Burgum – Secretary of the Interior
- Lee Michel Zeldin – Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency
This list is incomplete, of course, but every one of the people named above has been actively involved in various combinations of abuse of power, personal corruption, deliberate dishonesty, pursuit of hurtful policies, and blind obedience to Trump’s every wacky whim. You do not need to take my word for this. Pick any name on this list and check the public record. These people are scary and dangerous.
As a Christian and Latter-day Saint who has read the scriptures and believes what they say, I am unequivocally certain that not one of the people listed above will escape the consequences of the harmful, selfish, immoral, and often illegal, actions they have taken while in public office. As I understand the Gospel, it would be much better for these people to repent now rather than later. (I am not optimistic that any of them will).
Hanging by a Thread
I already know the objection I will get to this blog post: “Who are you to judge these people? Didn’t Jesus admonish us to not judge others?” (Matthew 7:1). My answer is that I am not claiming to be righteous myself. I am not claiming to have a perfect understanding of people’s motives. I am simply, as a Christian and as a US citizen, trying to warn the voters, in our supposedly democratic republic, that those currently in power in the United States are corrupt and dangerous and that, because of them, our Constitution is currently hanging by a thread.
I believe the scriptures are very clear about right and wrong, good and evil. Sadly, there is much evil in American politics today that is being excused and ignored – especially by people of faith. I refuse to ignore the evil. And I will not remain silent.
Additional reading:
Elisabeth Garber-Paul, et al, “The 12 Worst People in Trump’s Orbit,” Rolling Stone, November 11, 2024.
Allison McManus and Dan Herman, “All the President’s Extremists: How the Trump Administration’s National Security Nominees Threaten American’s Safety,” Center for American Progress, May 19, 2025.
Norman Eisen, “Trump and Cronie’s Top 10 Corruption Scandals (Round 4),” The Contrarian, August 1, 2026.