The role of Christian nationalism in the new administration was also evident in the exchange between Trump and the Bishop of Washington, Mariann Budde, at the National Cathedral. The Christian nationalist leaders behind Trump largely detest the kind of Christianity that the bishop, in their eyes, represents.
At Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest, a 20,000-person gathering of the MAGA hard core that took place in Phoenix, Arizona in December, speakers condemned what they call “woke Christianity.” Taking aim at “the social gospel,” the “historical Jesus movement … liberation theology and Black liberation theology,” Lucas Miles, head of Turning Point USA Faith, the sponsoring organization’s faith outreach arm, said, “We have to decide which Jesus … is the real Jesus.” This cohort has welcomed Trump’s attack on the bishop, and indeed some have followed up with proposals to deport Budde or seize the National Cathedral from the Episcopalians and turn it over to a more biblically correct (and now politically correct, in their manner of speaking) reactionary church.
But the theocratic authoritarian impulse is also present in a deeper way, in actions that at first glance may appear to have little to do with religion. Several of Trump’s actions this week, for example, are transparently intended to reward his personal political friends and punish his political enemies. Are you a crypto-libertarian tech bro fired up for Trump but weirdly obsessed with the prosecution of a drug kingpin? Trump will pardon your hero. Are you a long-serving national security official who insulted Trump at some point? Trump will cancel your security clearance, and maybe even your protective security detail.
It is easy to see that this government is organized largely around satisfying the emotional needs and financial interests of one person. But we should not overlook that this kind of personal rule involves a certain vision of what purpose government fundamentally serves, and that vision is deeply rooted in Christian nationalism. For the Christian nationalist leaders whose movement brought Trump to power, the fundamental model of government is “kingship.” Many of them describe Trump as a new King Cyrus and insist that God chose him to “save” America. There is no room in this model for the “rule of law”—except where that phrase is used as a euphemism for “the iron fist.” There is also no gap between the king’s personal household and the administration of state business. The king is the law, and you are either with him or against him.
https://contrarian.substack.com/p/how-trump-is-spearheading-the-american