'Cannot unify with evil': Here’s what really drives evangelicals’ support for Trump

In his Easter morning post earlier this month, President Donald Trump’s wished a happy holiday to “the Radical Left Lunatics … fighting and scheming so hard to bring Murderers, Drug Lords, Dangerous Prisoners." The president's post was criticized by many as being too divisive, but evangelicals supported the president's controversial message.

In an article published Monday, Guardian quoted Jackson Lahmeyer, the founder of the Pastors for Trump organization who supported the president's Easter message, as saying: “You cannot unify with evil.”

Several white evangelical leaders continue to back Trump vigorously, even in light of what many consider to be violent and extremist rhetoric. Many people view this narrative as inappropriate for any religious event, especially one closely associated with themes of renewal, forgiveness, and peace.

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"To evangelical leaders, that emphasis on Christian values stands in contrast to how they perceive the Biden administration’s actions, including in 2024 declaring 31 March Transgender Day of Visibility, the date when it had been celebrated since its creation in 2009, but last year fell – entirely coincidentally – on Easter Sunday," the Guardian article noted.

Brad Sherman, an Iowa pastor and Republican now running for governor, told Guardian: "Easter was barely mentioned."

That is not true.

The tradition of the annual White House Easter egg roll continued under Biden's presidency. In a statement made last Easter, the former president said: “As we gather with loved ones, we remember Jesus’s sacrifice … with wars and conflict taking a toll on innocent lives around the world, we renew our commitment to work for peace, security, and dignity for all people.”

This means that some of the evangelical support for Trump may be based on misinformation that Biden did not celebrate Christian traditions in the White House.

This year, Trump hosted an Easter prayer service and dinner attended by Lahmeyer, well-known pastors like Franklin Graham and Robert Jeffress, as well as his personal pastor, Paula White-Cain, who currently heads the White House faith office, among others.

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“[Trump] preached the gospel to us pastors, and I thought that was amazing,” Lahmeyer told Guardian.

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