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When the US president is a vengeful, manipulative showman, is he evil? What does God say? |
| “I'm stained with apathy, I'm blind but I can see A tyrant to the bones…” OneRepublic, “Tyrant” Is Donald Trump evil? On the surface, this essay prompt is deceptively easy. Yet, before I make a blanket statement in the affirmative, I have to pause. What rubric am I using to determine how I view Trump? Am I going by the surface level grievances: his blunt, sloppy speech, his short temper, his abrasive personality? Or am I concerned about the deeper issues: his treatment of others, his scheming for revenge, his unstable policy decisions? The prompt is not one question, but a total of ten. I think the best way for me to sift through this and give my efforts some structure would be to answer each question and arrive at a final conclusion. Can we say one way or another if a man or woman is good or evil? This is a highly subjective question in most cases. Courts of law don't make statements about character but rather judge individual deeds. Simply put, I believe most of what we would judge a person's character by is in the consequences of their actions. The Ten Commandments are a good place to start from, but breaking one or more of them doesn't necessarily make a person “evil.” It's a sliding scale; one person may be “more evil” than another, but then again “less evil” than someone else. Can we judge others? This is an easier question. One makes judgments about others all the time, many of them on the subconscious level. Walking into a crowded party, one might scan the room and get a feel for who might be the easiest people to hang out with, even in the most superficial way. More significantly, we spend our lives making value judgments about who we want to work with, vote for, marry, and spend time with. Judging someone else is not inherently wrong; Jesus judged people many times. It's the way we act upon our judgments, and the consistency with which we apply them to ourselves as well as others, that matters. Can we judge an elected leader in a democracy? This one's even easier. Of course we can, if for no other reason than a minority of the people didn't vote for whoever is in charge and it's a good idea to understand why. In order to place a vote at all, one must make some estimation of the candidate's character and values to see if they align with one's own. This is a judgment, yet no one would argue it shouldn't happen. What are the key dimensions of character assessment that are relevant here? Here we look again at the difference between surface flaws and deeper cracks in a person's character. A person might come across as crude or grumpy, yet still have a strong moral compass that guides their decisions. And conversely, a person could be smooth, diplomatic and appealing, yet still have no morals whatsoever. Trump, unfortunately, lands squarely on the wrong side of both equations. He has all the ugly little flaws that drive people away, and he also has serious shortcomings of character that send repercussions throughout civilization. A quick rundown of character traits relevant in the public and political arena:  Honesty Fidelity/loyalty Philanthropy Humility Open-mindedness Ability to forgive Denial of bribes Altruism (I first wrote “Desire to benefit the public good even at the expense of oneself” and realized I'm probably defining “altruism.”)To what extent is opinion on Trump decided by the political outlook and opinions of prominent influencers in a culture? Good thought. Speaking for myself alone, I doubt my opinions on Trump are influenced by anything but the day-to-day facts. I don't watch TV, I don't listen to podcasts, I don't allow myself to be brainwashed by anyone on social media (solve that problem by not using any!) I read my daily Breakpoint with a “liberal” grain of salt, depending on what mood I'm in. Others, however, seem far easier to manipulate. I suppose opinions about Trump are as easily influenced by external forces as opinions on anyone else. Imagine Dragons is a band that millions of people love, and probably millions of people hate as well. Perhaps all it takes to make someone hate them is to read the irate, scornful opinions of the professional music critics. Perhaps one might think the “intellectual” thing to do is to despise them, without paying any mind to the quality of the band itself. One might extrapolate that thinking to figures in politics, including Trump. Are our views on Trump our own or manufactured for us? Continuing the music analogy, there are probably many people who never actually gave a moment to listen to Imagine Dragons (though they're notoriously hard to avoid) and only brush them off because of what they've heard about them. So too, most people probably pick a side and automatically stick to it when dealing with Trump and other figures in politics, whether because it's what they grew up with, it's easier than analysis, or because they think it's the most aligned with their own views. Our perspectives are largely manufactured by the culture we're embedded into, putting aside the volatility of social media, which is a whole other level of manufacturing. By what criteria can we assess a person’s life? Jesus said “by their fruits you will know them,” and I don't think I can get much clearer than that. It's all about the consequences of one's actions. We can never truly know someone's motivations, but if we see them consistently taking actions which cause harm to others, without regard for propriety, safety, or the influence they're having on society, we can make judgments about their suitability for positions of power. How does Trump compare to Christ? Ugh… Is that even a question?  Christ forgives. Trump seeks vengeance. Christ bids the little children come to Him. Trump has them deported. Christ tells us to turn the other cheek. Trump purposely incites violence. Christ identifies with the poor and broken. Trump mocks and despises them. Christ heals people. Trump cuts their healthcare benefits. Christ feeds people. Trump cuts their welfare. Christ denounces evildoers. Trump admires them. Christ reaches out to everyone to draw them together. Trump pits races, classes, genders, political affiliations and religions against each other. Christ spoke freely and engaged in discussion. Trump shuts down free speech and threatens reporters. Christ engages people's hearts and minds. Trump baits their primitive instincts. Christ was not of Northern European lineage. Trump embraces White supremacists and their conspiracy theories. Christ was a refugee, a law-abiding citizen, and homeless. Trump is an elitist, a convicted felon, and a corrupt property mogul. Christ uplifts women. Trump drags them through the gutter.Need I say more? [Run this list through ChatGPT and have it pull open sources for each of these: this is the climax.] Does God think Trump is evil? How am I supposed to know what God thinks? Well, that's what the Bible is for, I guess. Biblical standards indicate a leader should have a servant's heart, be concerned with the wellbeing of the least of us, and speak with wisdom and understanding. Trump does none of these. He is at odds with everything the Bible stands for, and his veneer of conservatism is only a mask to fool evangelical Christians into thinking he's on their side. His government policies may push back on hot-button “culture wars” issues like trans rights or abortion rights, but he has also set in motion policies which are crashing the economy, making life harder for women, children, and immigrants, and caused hundreds of thousands to lose their jobs thanks to Elon Musk and DOGE, which bulldozed dozens of federal programs, the absence of which will have lasting effects across society. To say nothing of the fact that in the past ten years since his rise to power, he has provided a rotten example of how to behave. A generation of children has grown up seeing the most powerful man in the world behaving like an immature bully, being rewarded for it, and having people who call themselves Christians singing his praises and making excuses for everything he does. If God holds to His Word, I don't think He has a very high view of Donald Trump. Even Trump himself admits he doubts his standing before the Throne. God can't be bullied, flattered, bribed or tariffed into saving someone who is unworthy, unrepentant and unashamed. Coming back to the original question: is Donald Trump evil? Though we shouldn't declare a definitive yes, it seems fairly obvious that he is not “good,” as we are taught to look for in the Bible. God can use anyone to accomplish His goals, but that doesn't mean we have to put such a deeply flawed man on a pedestal and offer him sacrifices. Notes ▼ |
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