Donald Trump raised eyebrows today with his statement that several black pastors were supporting his candidacy for the Republican nomination to run for president. It turns out that those pastors were not in fact endorsing Trump. They were just meeting with him.
The eyebrow raising seems to have been largely directed at the fact that black pastors in particular might support Trump. My issue is a little different. How could any Christian pastor support Donald Trump?
I can see a case for Christians supporting Ted Cruz and I can see a case for Christians supporting Bernie Sanders. And I can see a case for Christians supporting most of the wannabe presidential candidates in between.
Trump is different. His racism, xenophobia, sexism, vulgarity, and conceit are legendary. And like the peeling away of an onion, once you peel away that racism, xenophobia, sexism, vulgarity, and conceit, there’s nothing left … except the equally legendary hair, of course.
Donald Trump is nothing less than a walking id with orange hair. However, the id is to be restrained in polite society. And hair alone is not an adequate basis to support someone for president.
In short, the only reason I can see a person supporting Donald Trump is because of personal vice: i.e. they resonate to some degree with his racism, xenophobia, sexism, vulgarity and/or conceit.
While I think Christians should generally be very careful about making declarations that it is simply unchristian to support a political candidate, in Trump’s case that judgment is surely warranted.
So while it is certainly possible that a Christian might support Donald Trump for president, their basis for doing so would, in my view, be fundamentally at odds with their professed Christian convictions.
