Commentary

Trump evangelicals start a new group to keep up the bad work of his administration

Trump signs religious liberty executive order
Trump signs religious liberty executive order Photo: White House

Conservative evangelicals are already worshipping the gospel according to Donald Trump in their churches. So it’s not surprising that a group of Trump evangelicals have started a new group to support the Messiah of Mar-a-Lago.

The National Faith Advisory Board consists of the same cast of characters involved in the White House’s Faith and Opportunity Initiative that Trump created in 2018 and that Joe Biden disbanded. The Rose Garden announcement of the Initiative’s creation was a typical circus, with religion taking a back seat while reporters shouted questions about Trump’s payments to porn star Stormy Daniels.

Related: Pence tells evangelicals to pray for “four more years” if they want to get rich

The purpose of the Initiative was to give free rein to the religious right in its attempts to impose its views on government policy. That was especially true of LGBTQ rights, which was repeatedly attacked as an affront to religious liberty.

Now that the Initiative is defunct, its members are looking for ways to return to power. The new group’s stated mission is to “proudly continue the work we began at the White House, through partnering and bringing together a diverse coalition of faith leaders to amplify their voices to impact our nation.”

In short, work for Trump’s return to office.

The Advisory Board is led by televangelist Paula White, Trump’s self-proclaimed personal pastor whom he hired to work in the White House on the Initiative. White said that there were “70 executives” involved in the new effort.

Trump joined in the conference call announcing the launch of the new group. He used his time to proclaim himself the greatest thing that happened to Christianity since Christ.

“One of my greatest honors was fighting for religious liberty and for defending the Judeo-Christian values and principles of our nation’s founding,” he proclaimed. He falsely said that he “obliterated” the law banning churches for political campaigning, boasted about relocating the US Embassy to Jerusalem and took credit for the Supreme Court’s recent abortion rights decision.

“Even last night, you’re getting some very powerful decisions, more powerful than anybody would have thought,” he said.

There were also Trump’s usual lies about the election being stolen from him. Violating yet another of the Ten Commandments never fazed Trump nor his followers.

The Advisory Board is a reminder that Trump’s connection with the religious right is as strong as ever. He continues to cultivate that base both to keep his ambitions alive and to stoke his ego. Whether or not Trump runs for election again, the political power that he is bestowed upon conservative evangelicals will remain, and along with it the endless attacks on LGBTQ rights.

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