Trump believes 'dangerous nonsense' that 'God is on his side': conservative

Faith leaders place their hands on the shoulders of U.S. President Donald Trump as he takes part in a prayer for those affected by Hurricane Harvey in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, U.S., September 1, 2017.

In recent weeks, there has been much talk of President Donald Trump’s relationship to Christian belief due to his ongoing attacks against the Pope. Now as some of his followers have begun to suggest Trump’s divinity, not everyone is on board with such “dangerous nonsense.”

Discussion of Trump’s faith is nothing new, dating back to a number of confused statements the Republican president made about the Bible during his 2016 campaign. While he asserted that the Bible was his favorite book, he famously refused to name a favorite passage, saying, “I wouldn’t want to get into it. Because to me, that’s very personal. The Bible means a lot to me, but I don’t want to get into specifics.” And when asked whether he preferred the Old or New Testament, he dodged, saying “Probably equal. I think it’s just incredible.”

Then in April, Trump’s religiosity was thrust back into the spotlight once again due to his beef with the Pope. When the Pope made statements against Trump’s war on Iran, the president was infuriated and began repeatedly lashing out against Leo XIV, posting that he was, among other criticisms, “WEAK on Crime” and “Weak on nuclear weapons.” This spiraled into a full-on war of words between Catholics and pro-Trump Protestants, with supporters of the president claiming that the Pope is a “Leftist” while those who backed the Pontiff began to wonder if the president was the Antichrist.

Some Trump adherents, however, feel quite differently, insinuating and sometimes outright saying that they believe he is God or at least holds some special favor with the Holy Ghost. On Monday, for example, a clip began circulating of White House senior faith advisor Paula White seeming to argue to oppose Trump is to oppose God.

“He has been raised up by God because God says that he raises up people and places them in positions of authority,” said White. “It is God that raises up a king, it is God that sets one down. So when you fight against the plan of God you're fighting against the hand of God.”

Conservative New York Times columnist David French was not happy with White’s assertion, posting, “This is absolute nonsense (by this reasoning any time you fight against a president you're fighting against the plan of God), but it's also dangerous nonsense. Trump is plainly absorbing the idea that God's on his side — and he already had a grandiose sense of self.”

White isn’t the only person in Trump’s orbit to suggest his divinity. While delivering a Pentagon press briefing in mid-April, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth railed against the media, comparing its coverage of the president to the Pharisees’ persecution of Jesus. Hegseth’s characterization drew condemnation from many of his fellow Christians, including his fellow former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson, who posted, “As a Christian how dare you use religion to shame those who simply ask questions.”

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