It appears that most of the American members of my Church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, have voted for Donald Trump to be President of the United States in 2016 and in 2020, and are prepared to do so again in 2024. I am curious to ask them, “When, exactly, did you decide that this is your guy?”
The following are some possible scenarios. Let me know in the comments which of his actions convinced YOU that he deserved your support.
“I loved it when he first declared his candidacy in 2015 by insulting Mexican immigrants. Then he promised to build a big wall to keep them out. I was really pleased to hear that he would make Mexico pay for the wall.”
“I really knew I was voting for him when he bragged about grabbing women by the p****. There he was running against that Democrat witch and he showed that he really knows how to put women in their place. Everyone knows we can’t have a woman president. It sets a bad example for other women.”
“One of his first actions in office was an executive order to keep those Muslims out of our country (except, of course, the nice rich ones from Saudi Arabia and Qatar). They are all terrorists, you know.”
“I loved his yuge tax cut for the big corporations and the super wealthy. Someday I’m going to win the Idaho lottery and benefit from those tax cuts.”
“I was impressed when he decided to bury his first wife, Ivana, at his New Jersey golf club. That man really knows how to save money. I hope he got a tax break by declaring his golf course to be a cemetery!”
“I like that he created the Space Force – it reminds me of Star Trek. I’m glad he ignored that stupid treaty that prohibits the militarization of space. Space belongs to the United States because we got there first!”
“I appreciate how he handled the Covid-19 crisis by blaming China and told us to just inject bleach. He certainly showed those elitist doctors and scientists who the real expert was! Only a million Americans died of Covid-19 because of Trump!”
“I am so impressed with the way he, with the help of Mitch McConnell, stacked the US Supreme Court so that Republican lawmakers and judges throughout the country could begin again to persecute women for their personal health care decisions. The added advantage is that now that Trump is in legal trouble, he can hopefully appear before loyal judges that HE appointed!”
“I really identify with him when he whines about how unfair the media and the courts are to him. They just go on and on about how he lies and breaks the law. Who cares? They just won’t leave him alone. That poor man is so picked on.”
“I like that he never backs down and never repents. Instead, he always doubles down. Isn’t that what Jesus taught?”
“What’s not to like? The man has money, power, a beautiful wife, and gets to play golf all the time. He can say and do whatever he wants and never be held accountable. I want my sons to grow up to be just like him!”
Author’s note: The quotations above are, of course, made up by me and are admittedly sarcastic. However, the actions of Donald Trump that each scenario describes actually happened (see documentation below) and did, surprisingly, contribute to his popularity.
The point is that I am completely puzzled how so-called “Saints” can politically support a man who says and does such things. My hypothesis is that Trump’s brazenness appeals to people’s dark side (whether racism, misogyny, bigotry, selfishness, materialism, conspiricism, or whininess) and somehow gives them permission to embrace and express it.
If this hypothesis is correct, the only cure for Trumpism is repentance.
Sources:
(The first two are historically important and the last one is a must read).
“Here’s Donald Trump’s Presidential Announcement Speech,” Time, June 16, 2015.
“US election: Full transcript of Donald Trump’s obscene videotape,” BBC News, October 9, 2016.
“Full text of Trump’s executive order on 7-nation ban, refugee suspension,” CNN, January 28, 2017.
Sawhill and Pulliam, “The middle class needs a tax cut: Trump didn’t give it to them,” Brookings, October 16, 2018.
Margaret Hartmann, “Why Ivana Trump was Buried at Bedminster Golf Course: 3 Theories,” New York Magazine, November 22, 2022.
“Outer Space Treaty,” Wikipedia.
McGraw and Stein, “It’s been exactly one year since Trump suggested injecting bleach. We’ve never been the same,” Politico, April 23, 2021.
David Smith, “Trump’s revenge: tilting of supreme court to the right poised to bear fruit,” The Guardian, May 23,2021.
George Packer, “Is Journalism Ready?” The Atlantic, January/February 2024.
Michelle Boorstein, “Trump on God: ‘Hopefully I won’t have to be asking for much forgiveness’,” The Washington Post, June 8, 2016.
John Cassidy, “The Serial Golf Cheat in the White House,” The New Yorker, April 3, 2019.
Sometimes all we can do is laugh a bit hysterically.
He has thousands of documented lies that he has spoken…let alone his immoral behavior with women, his grabbing women by the pussy and his making fun of the disabled, his disdain for the imigrants and his name-calling of the Democrats who are against them…vermin, etc.. I am amazed and confused at the lack of morals by LDS people to vote for such a man when the scriptures are replete with reasons why we shouldn’t vote for him. Several General Authorities have cautioned us in their Conference talks…but still the LDS will hold their noses and vote for him. It literally makes me sick to my stomach. Joe Biden is not the best candidate either but he is far superior to Trump and if people cannot see that we would be better off with him for another term than to suffer the hellscape of another Trump presidency, I will for sure lose my faith in a lot of my fellow church members.