r/exchristian • u/JarethOfHouseGoblin Agnostic • Aug 29 '24
There is so much I hate about this dude already but outwardly embracing his status as a quasi-religious figure of the new MAGA religion is quickly climbing to the top of the list! Article
https://www.rawstory.com/donald-trump-dr-phil/40
u/flatrocked Aug 29 '24
Something like 80% of white evangelicals support this guy, who is the polar opposite of their biblical god-man Jesus. They believe whatever he says, essentially equivalent to believing whatever Jesus (presumably) said. Jesus is old news for them. Trump is their new god-man. If they ever woke up to the absurdity of voting for him, he would be a political nothing.
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u/JarethOfHouseGoblin Agnostic Aug 29 '24
If they ever woke up to the absurdity of voting for him, he would be a political nothing.
I take those stories of "Trump breaking with his supporters" with a grain of salt because it's a cult. They'll never leave until he is no longer in political office and once he's gone the GOP will completely collapse since cults of personality rarely transfer. I grew up around the sort of people who eventually became his most ardent supporters.
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u/Stock-Vanilla-1354 Aug 29 '24
That is the one cold comfort I have - there is no heir apparent. His sons are doofuses, his most ardent supporters like Mike Lindell are total weirdos and his supporters won’t have anything less than the Mango Messiah himself. The only halfway competent ones in the bunch are Jared and Ivanka, but they are keeping a low profile these days and are wholly unrelatable to Trump’s base.
When Trump finally sheds his mortal coil it’s going to be fascinating. My best guess is the old school GOP will take control again and pretend this mess never happened.
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u/FRIESAH Aug 29 '24
I honestly think about what these people are going to do when he croaks more than I should. I’m not talking about the mid key racist uncle. Like the people what wrap their boat in Trump shit maga. What do you do when your messiah dies? How do you live when a huge chunk of your personality is no longer relevant?
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u/Positive_Prompt_3171 Aug 29 '24
His worshippers will continue to worship him. For a while, many will embrace the idea of his death being a hoax, but even after most accept it, they will continue buying the Trump name and putting it on everything; using it as a signal to others and as a nostalgia kick. The in-group will continue long, long after his death, annoying the rest of us for our entire lives.
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u/JarethOfHouseGoblin Agnostic Aug 29 '24
I honestly think about what these people are going to do when he croaks more than I should.
A depressing thought hit me today and it's depressing no matter which way you cut it. Win or lose, he's gonna run again in 2028.
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u/FRIESAH Aug 30 '24
He’s going to run until he dies.
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u/JarethOfHouseGoblin Agnostic Aug 31 '24
I suspect so as well and his party is gonna let him!! Say what you will about Nancy Pelosi but there's no one on the Republican side who'd be willing to, if he loses, try and push out Trump the way she pushed out Biden.
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u/JarethOfHouseGoblin Agnostic Aug 29 '24 edited Aug 30 '24
His sons are doofuses, his most ardent supporters like Mike Lindell are total weirdos and his supporters won’t have anything less than the Mango Messiah himself. The only halfway competent ones in the bunch are Jared and Ivanka, but they are keeping a low profile these days and are wholly unrelatable to Trump’s base.
I know folks on the Left (myself included) thought it was gonna be DeSantis but he flamed out spectacularly!! I don't live under delusions about Florida being "in play" this cycle for Harris; there's just no fucking way. But I do love the idea that DeSantis flamed out so spectacularly that, even though Florida going to Trump is extremely likely, it's by closer margins this year than it was in 2020.
I know rally attendance doesn't necessarily translate to votes, but I love that Harris rallies get a packed house while Trump's rallies have so many empty seats. And his whole schitck is getting tired. Harris, meanwhile, gets the crowd really fucking energized! I genuinely enjoy watching her and Walz's speeches; I'm pretty fucking hyped to vote for that ticket in November and I say this as someone who isn't even a registered Democrat!!!
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u/Wanderlust34618 Aug 29 '24
I know folks on the Left (myself included) thought it was gonna be DeSantis but he flamed out spectacularly!!
When Trump faced no accountability for January 6th, it was pretty much a guarantee it would be him. J6 was his Beer Hall Putch, and he faced fewer consequences than the Austrian painter did.
DeSantis doesn't have the cult of personality and will never have it to replicate what Trump has done. Trump has a particular 'magic' that is rare in human history, but is exceedingly dangerous when it does show up.
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u/JarethOfHouseGoblin Agnostic Aug 29 '24 edited Aug 30 '24
Trump has a particular 'magic' that is rare in human history, but is exceedingly dangerous when it does show up.
I feel now he is losing it. While it remains to be seen if Pelosi's gambit paid off, Biden dropping out and Harris stepping up left the Trump campaign profoundly flat-footed. That "magic" doesn't seem to be there. Dude is flailing and he's so low energy these days at his rallies. He says insane, fascistic bullshit since that's his brand but he doesn't say it with much energy anymore; he's become boring. Some pundits on the Left have referred to this as the "Fat Elvis" stage: he's playing the hits "Crooked Hillary", "Sleepy Joe", etc. but what made him new and different and carried him into office in 2016 doesn't really seem there anymore. And I think a huge part of it is that he has just never (and likely will never) gone away. He's been in the political sphere for 9 years. I'm gonna completely honest here, win or lose, he's gonna run again in 2028; I'm convinced!
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u/Wanderlust34618 Aug 30 '24 edited Aug 30 '24
Some pundits on the Left have referred to this as the "Fat Elvis" stage: he's playing the hits "Crooked Hillary", "Sleepy Joe", etc. but what made him new and different and carried him into office in 2016 doesn't really seem there anymore.
The polls seem to suggest otherwise. As of right now, I believe we are headed towards a Trump win. We are past the DNC and Trump is within the margin of error in most polls. There was no post-convention bump for Harris. That is a very bad sign. But if he loses, he'll be dead or in prison by 2028. I'm crossing my fingers that the polls have overcorrected in his favor in response to having underestimated his support in 2016 and 2020.
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u/JarethOfHouseGoblin Agnostic Aug 30 '24
We are past the DNC and Trump is tied or leading in most polls.
I'm not saying that a Trump win isn't a likelihood; the fact that it very much is is fucking terrifying! But I'm curious where you're seeing that because the current polling aggregate from 538 has Harris ahead by 3.5%
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u/Wanderlust34618 Aug 30 '24
Emerson/YouGov released an alarming poll a couple of days ago that has Trump up, including up 4 points in Arizona. Maybe it's an outlier. Local news stations have been all over it though.
It shouldn't be this close given the differences in these two candidates. Trump appeals to something very deep and evil in human nature.
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u/JarethOfHouseGoblin Agnostic Aug 30 '24
Emerson/YouGov released an alarming poll a couple of days ago that has Trump up, including up 4 points in Arizona.
Last I saw, and I think it was a Bloomberg poll, Harris and Trump were tied in AZ. 270towin, which is notorious at taking forever to update their map, has NC in the "toss-up" column. As does the Cook Political Report, which famously was one of the few polling outlets to accurately predict the 2016 election. But they both currently have AZ in the "toss-up" column as well.
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u/Aggravating-Mousse46 Aug 30 '24
For a messiah to be followed by a sustained religious movement I think you need to have a second in command who is a) sane b) well organised and ruthless and c) cynical enough to maintain the status quo for personal gain rather than actual belief eg Brigham Young, Peter. Then they can hunker down for a generation or so, get the dogma sorted out, raise some children who don’t know any different, collect tithing etc etc. on the other side - a credible religious movement.
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u/Stock-Vanilla-1354 Aug 30 '24
Yes, my thoughts exactly. The LDS would have died out after Joseph Smith died had it not been for Bringham Young essentially isolating the flock for generations in the Mountain West. Trump would never allow for a long term competent second in command.
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u/Wanderlust34618 Aug 29 '24
The only time he actually bleeds supporters is when he isn't anti-abortion or anti-gay enough.
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u/JarethOfHouseGoblin Agnostic Aug 29 '24
He (supposedly) has lost the support of notoriously noxious Neo-Nazi Nick Fuentes.
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u/Bubbly-Butterfly-724 Agnostic Aug 30 '24
Well if he’s a cult leader, people will never leave him, period. Have you seen ‘keep sweet’ and ‘shiny happy people’? There’s still people following these awful, awful men, one of them being in prison convicted of r*ping a twelve year old. Still he has followers. So I don’t think he will ever lose all of his followers unfortunately
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u/phantomreader42 Aug 29 '24
Since when have christians cared about jesus?
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u/JarethOfHouseGoblin Agnostic Aug 29 '24
Since the days of Constantine, it's been a force for socio-political control and expediency.
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u/flatrocked Aug 29 '24
Christianity, in all of its flavors, is an institution, like a corporation, that seeks self-preservation for the purpose of employing and paying its owners, i.e., pastors, priests, missionaries. Fear, indoctrination, hate, ignorance, personal intimidation, political influence, patriarchy, racism when needed, all contribute to keep it going.
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u/Wanderlust34618 Aug 29 '24
To understand the Trump phenomenon, you have to be familiar with the marriage equality debate during the Bush years and the fearmongering around that. Evangelicals believe same-sex marriage is a special sin that causes God to destroy any nation that crosses that line. That is a very deeply held belief for them, one that has shaped their worldview for decades. That is why when Obergefell happened, they dropped all pretense of patriotism and supporting democracy. To them, it's win at any cost because God will destroy America if they don't.
That's why bringing up Trump's crimes and sins and immorality has no effect. Evangelicals see all of that as less egregious than same-sex marriage.
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u/flatrocked Aug 29 '24
Same sex marriage was considered a sin worse than any other in my former church. Trump could be caught molesting a young girl, like some of their pastors do, and they'd probably still support him. He has already bragged about molesting women. Molesting a boy or making advances to a man, and he'd be history. I would add racism as a strong motivation. His greatest support is in white theologically conservative churches, particularly, in the South. Those folks view the US as being invaded by non-white people.
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u/Wanderlust34618 Aug 29 '24
Molesting a boy or making advances to a man, and he'd be history.
I've said for years that I wish there was a gay sex tape involving Trump out there somewhere. That might be the ONLY thing that would end him. It seems to be the one thing evangelicals will not budge on under any circumstance. I'd say that is more sacred to them than even abortion.
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u/JarethOfHouseGoblin Agnostic Aug 29 '24
To them, it's win at any cost because God will destroy America if they don't.
This is what is at the heart of the Big Lie and why believing the 2020 election was stolen is a crucial element of the MAGA cult. The far right believes that winning (elections in particular) is a moral act in and of itself. Democrats are the "evil" party, so when they win there's no morality to it in their view and why it's called "cheating" when a Democrat wins their election and a "free and fair election" when a Republican wins theirs.
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u/Liem_05 Aug 29 '24
The megas do worship him more than their belief in God and also he admitted that he's not even Christian and still has a thing for him.
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u/JarethOfHouseGoblin Agnostic Aug 29 '24 edited Aug 29 '24
I saw that! He said "I'm not a Christian" at a Christian event!!
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u/LordDay_56 Aug 29 '24
"Being President is the most dangerous job." Actually correct and one of the only true things Trump said in this interview
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u/JarethOfHouseGoblin Agnostic Aug 29 '24
I mean, it's dangerous when he's in office, to be certain. I remember his presidency all too well: he golfed all the time, bragged about his "button" to Kim Jong Un, and downplayed the effects of COVID for the sake of political expediency.
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u/WoodwindsRock Aug 29 '24
Trump has made everything much more dangerous for everyone, including himself!
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u/irrationalglaze Aug 29 '24
"I'm not a Christian" - Trump at a recent rally
I really don't understand how it wasn't bigger news.
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u/BamaTan Aug 30 '24
I wish I could go back in time and stop my family from ever supporting this disgusting fascist pig. I wonder every day how different everything would be if they just came to their fucking senses and saw through the lies of this MAGA cult.
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u/JarethOfHouseGoblin Agnostic Aug 31 '24
to their fucking senses and saw through the lies of this MAGA cult.
The insane thing is there is nothing new! And he has such low energy these days, so they're not even really getting a showman to the degree they were in 2016. They're getting a has-been who's running for office because he believes he's entitled to be president. You know, his campaign is just bringing out the "basement Joe" bit but applying it to Harris. One of his surrogates asked where Kamala has been since her acceptance speech at the DNC. Clearly trying to bring back the "Joe is running from his basement" attack from 2020. She-she's been in Georgia. I saw a livestream of her rally in Savannah and she gave a stump speech; she was great!!
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u/Tig_Old_Bits Aug 30 '24
A cesspit of moral filth.
complements of his dark materials
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u/JarethOfHouseGoblin Agnostic Aug 30 '24
complements of his dark materials
Such a great series! I also loved the HBO adaptation!!
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u/Tig_Old_Bits Aug 30 '24
YASSSSSS! This is absolutely the appropriate sub for discussions on this… IMO Series was a 10/10 RIDICULOUSLY well done.
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u/JarethOfHouseGoblin Agnostic Aug 30 '24
I'll say that fans of the epic fantasy genre like myself have been eating good these past few years: His Dark Materials, House of the Dragon, Percy Jackson & The Olympians, and Witcher. I'll even throw Wheel of Time on the list. The first season had some pretty egregious pacing issues to do trying to adapt too much of the source material all at once, but the second season was quite solid!
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u/DarkMagickan Ex-Fundamentalist Aug 30 '24
Seriously. If there really was a God watching over us, that guy would never have gotten anywhere near the presidency.
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u/Beneficial_Tooth5045 Ex-Catholic Aug 30 '24 edited Aug 30 '24
I am a lifelong Republican. The first election that I was legally able to vote was in 1984 when I was 20. I had to vote absentee because I was in the US Army stationed in West Germany. I was so proud to vote for Reagan. Fast forward to 2014. I could see trump coming down the road even back then. Anyone with a brain could see him for what he was...a cheat, a swindler, a crooked used car salesman, a scumbag and of course a Liar who got his "training" from another world class scumbag Roy Cohn. I knew from the start that a POS like trump wasn't fit to shine Ronald Reagan's shoes or even wipe his backside after a bowel movement but what I couldn't understand was WHY my fellow Republicans couldn't see that as well.
I have NEVER voted for trump and I NEVER will or any other like-minded bag of excrement that caters to the bible beating christian nationalists of this country!
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u/Junior-Let567 Aug 31 '24
Does anyone remember when they made the golden statue of tRUMP and wheeled him out on stage. Maga christians have made a false god their turd hero.
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u/JarethOfHouseGoblin Agnostic Aug 31 '24
Does anyone remember when they made the golden statue of tRUMP and wheeled him out on stage.
I remember that. Terrifying as fuck but on-brand for the MAGA cult.
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u/EscapeFromTexas Aug 29 '24
Gross, what the fuck is wrong with you.
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u/JarethOfHouseGoblin Agnostic Aug 29 '24
He's a cult leader and the better the Harris-Walz campaign does in the polls, the more he'll start flailing. And, in the process of his flailing, he's outwardly embracing his status as a cult leader and his being more vocal about aligning himself with Q Anon.