Author details link between 'Christian nationalism' and MAGA’s 'smashing of the administrative state'

Journalist/author Katherine Stewart has a long history of in-depth reporting on the Religious Right — and not in a favorable way.

2012's "The Good News Club: The Christian Right's Stealth Assault on America's Children" and 2022's "The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism," both characterized the Religious Right movement as antithetical to religious freedom in the United States. And in her new book, "Money, Lies, and God: Inside the Movement to Destroy American Democracy," Stewart emphasizes that Christian nationalists and billionaire oligarchs have formed a deeply authoritarian alliance.

Stewart discussed that alliance during an interview with Salon's Amanda Marcotte, published in Q&A form on February 18.

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When Marcotte asked Stewart how "MAGA tech bros like Elon Musk" and the Christian Right "fit together," the journalist/author responded, "The New Right and Christian nationalists are a power couple of American authoritarianism. Both want to smash the institutions that safeguard our democracy. They've said it in different ways. The smashing of the 'administrative state' is more of a New Right concept. The Christian nationalist movement is more focused on rejecting pluralism and equality. But both are committed to this anti-democratic project."

Stewart continued, "On the Christian Right, they would say our democratic system is not godly. On the New Right, they would say it simply doesn't work, that it's outlived its purpose. They want to smash it up and create something new, and that's an autocracy."

In 2025, the term "New Right" has a very different meaning than it did during Ronald Reagan's presidency.

Back in the early 1980s, "New Right" was used to describe the conservative movement being championed by President Reagan and his allies. But these days, the term "New Right" is used to describe President Donald Trump and the MAGA movement — which, in many respects, is a major departure from traditional old-school Reagan/Barry Goldwater/John McCain conservatism. And many Never Trumpers who were considered "The New Right" back in the 1980s are now scathing critics of Trump and MAGA.

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When Stewart speaks of the New Right, she is referring to MAGA — not the conservatives of 40 or 45 years ago.

Stewart told Marcotte, "The Christian nationalist side has been an authoritarian movement for quite some time. They refer to Donald Trump like a biblical ruler. They compare him (to) King Cyrus or King David, an imperfect ruler God chose to enact his will. Here's the thing about kings: they're not part of a democracy. They're the law onto themselves. Christian nationalists have persuaded themselves they're facing a demonic other, defined as anyone who doesn't believe as they do. They also believe God's hand is on Trump's shoulder. If anybody opposes him, they're going against God."

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Amanda Marcotte's interview with Katherine Stewart for Salon is available at this link.