Why I will not, indeed cannot, (and still can't) vote for or support Donald Trump
[I first wrote this saga during the 2020 election. Since then, Trump hasn’t been able to change my mind. In fact, he’s given even more reasons why I cannot vote for him. His lies have gotten more frequent, outrageous and ludicrous (they don’t even need fact checking; a few seconds of thought reveals the lie). His anti-Christian lifestyle, despite his recent claim that he is Christian, has become even more anti-Christian. Therefore, with a few minor changes, I’m reposting this saga since it’s as relevant for me today as it was in 2020.]
Some of my Christian friends in the U. S. and South Africa are pro-Trump and surprised that I, also a Christian, oppose him. And I do oppose him. Not because I belong to a different political party and am being loyal to my party. My party affiliation has nothing to do with my opposition to Trump. My Christian beliefs have everything to do with why I cannot support or vote for Donald Trump.
I believe I’ve been called to live a life with the goal of becoming more and more like Jesus, bit by bit, day by day. I believe Jesus repeated called his followers to be awake, alert, able to discern truth from lies, fact from fantasy. He also said, “You will know them by their fruits” (Mt 7:16). It’s up to us to be prayerfully discerning, alert and awake, rooted in prayerful reflection on Scripture. There are four troubling aspects of Trump’s lifestyle that make it impossible for me to vote for him. Three are related to his anti-Christian lifestyle, and the fourth, to some startling similarities between Trump and biblical descriptions of the antichrist. (Remember, John warns, “As you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come.”[1] It’s up to us to remain alert, awake and wise.
First, for many Christians, Trump’s glaring moral failures are overlooked because, they tell me, Trump is ‘pro-life,’ meaning Trump is against abortion and will promote anti-abortion policies and politicians. And that’s a fact. Trump has taken an aggressive stance in promoting anti-abortion policies. However, being against abortion doesn’t make a person pro-life. Trump isn’t pro-life. Just witness the treatment of immigrants at the US/Mexico border.[2] More and more children, along with adults are dying thanks to Trump’s immigration policies. True, there are far fewer deaths at the border than through abortion. But if we’re truly pro-life, one avoidable death matters or should matter to us. I’m also concerned that so many who claim to be Christian have made abortion a central moral issue for Christianity. I’m not arguing for or against the morality of abortion, only against making it a central issue. When I read Scripture, all of it, not just my favorite bits, the central moral and ethical issue that is of deep concern to our God is justice for the poorest of the poor (the widow, the orphan, and yes, the alien and not the fetus in the womb). God is a lover of justice (Ps 99:4); delights in steadfast love, justice and righteousness (Jer 9:24). The Christian church should be standing up for justice for all people, especially the poor and needy, the immigrant (the alien, regardless of status), the oppressed, those who can’t stand up for themselves, not merely the unborn.
Second, Trump’s hallmark claims are the antithesis of the demands Jesus makes of his disciples. Jesus said, “So the last will be first, and the first will be last” (Mt 20:16). He also said, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all” (Mk 9:35). And, “The greatest among you will be your servant” (Mt 23:11). Trump says, “America first,” and “Make America great again,” little realizing that this means, according to Jesus, becoming last not first, and servant to all in Jesus’ kingdom, regardless of ethnicity, gender orientation, language, immigrant status, etc. I do not believe, nor do I read in the Gospels that Jesus called us to be first and the greatest, either as individuals or as a nation.
Third, Jesus expects obedience to the law of love. In answer to the question about the greatest commandment, Jesus quoted from Deuteronomy 6: (“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all mind, and with all your strength”) and Leviticus 19 (“You shall love your neighbor as yourself”). This means that Jesus, who is God-With-Us, demands our total devotion. We’re to have no other gods before him, be those gods a spouse, a material possession, a sport, a pastor or a politician or Donald Trump. And we love God by loving our neighbor. Our neighbor isn’t merely the one who lives on our block or the one who looks and acts like us. In Jesus’ and Old Testament teaching, our neighbor is the stranger, the alien, the legal and illegal immigrant, the poor, the oppressed, anyone who needs mercy and compassion. Trump expects complete devotion to himself and ridicules those who refuse to give it (he calls them ‘never-Trumpers’ or degrades them in a presidential tweet of hate-filled words; and continues to do so in 2024). Trump expects us to despise our neighbors by building walls to keep the poor, the oppressed, the needy alien beyond our sight. This has nothing to do with the good news of Jesus. We are to love the alien among us (Lev 19:33-34, just one of many like verses). There is a curse on those who deprive the alien, the widow, the orphan of justice (Deut 22.19). Israel’s prophets continually advocated for justice for the poor, the widow, the orphan and the alien. Trump, the man the religious right has made their political hero, publicly (at the 2020 National Prayer Breakfast) mocked Jesus’ demand to love our enemies, an injunction that is all over the Bible, not only in Jesus’ teaching. Sadly, the religious right in his audience joined in the laughter suggesting their agreement with him. Were they relieved to be let off the hook by Trump on Jesus’ difficult command? I wonder. We become like what we worship and adore.
Fourth, many of Trump’s practices have similarities with the practices of the anti-Christ as described in Scripture. Repeatedly we’re warned that the anti-Christ and his minions will be boastful and arrogant. Trump has proven to be arrogant and boastful. Daniel, in a vision described in Daniel 7, states that the anti-Christ will possess a mouth that speaks arrogantly, causing Daniel to watch him in shock because of the arrogant words he was speaking. Daniel also warned (comforting the oppressed) that “his dominion shall be taken away, to be consumed and totally destroyed” (v26). In Daniel 11 the anti-Christ is described as “a contemptible person on whom royal majesty had not been conferred; he shall come in without warning and obtain the kingdom through intrigue” (v. 21). After Trump’s election in 2016 some people marveled that he was able to win and “become strong with a small party” (11:23) and we’re warned that all the antichrist’s plans and strongholds will be only for a time (v. 24). Some see Trump’s rise as a miracle and a sign that he’s God’s chosen one. But we should be careful about that. Many, including evangelical leaders, will also see the antichrist as God’s chosen one because he knows how to act like them. The writer of Revelation has Daniel’s words in mind when he described the antichrist (or the beast) as having “a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words” yet “in amazement the whole earth followed the beast” (Rev 13:3-5). Trump daily utters and tweets haughty and blasphemous words (violent and obscene language) about his enemies (meaning anyone who disagrees or opposes him) and amazingly he too has followers, those who adore him, from around the world. However, antichrist (and also Trump) will only be allowed to exercise authority for a limited period. (42 months for the antichrist. Trump was voted out of office in 2020, “fired by 8 million people,” as Harris put it in the 2024 debate.)
As a Christian, I’ll admit that I too struggle to live up to the name Christian (a little Christ). I daily seek to live the way of Jesus, daily get it wrong, so I try again the next day. Everyday.
Jesus appointed his disciples (that is, all Christians) to be with him (live in fellowship with Jesus so that he rubs off on us), to go and proclaim the good news (that Jesus came to set all creation free; anything that oppresses another isn’t of Jesus), and to cast out demons (meaning, confront evil in all its forms in the world).[3] As a Christian, I’m under an obligation to confront all evil, including the evil in the current (now former) President of the United States, D. J. Trump. Therefore, I cannot and will not vote for Trump in the November elections, cannot once again in 2024. Others will disagree with me and vote for him and continue to live the Christian way the best they can. My goal isn’t to persuade them but to encourage them and you to read your Bible, consistently and prayerfully.
With Bartimaeus I continue to pray for myself and Christ’s Church, “Lord, that I may see” (Mark 10:46-52) and see clearly, 20/20 vision in this year of our Lord 2020. And still see with 20/20 vision in the year of our Lord 2024.
[1] 1 John 2:18.
[2] Keep in mind that many of my references, such as this one, are to Trump’s first and only term in office and not to the Biden-Harris administration.
[3] Mark 3:13-19. See the devotion on these verses in Journey to Jesus by Jackie Smallbones.
Jackie L. Smallbones 2020, revised 2024
May be copied, but please let me know if you do. Use the ‘contact me’ tab.
If you’re looking for help in reading the Bible, buy my book, Journey to Jesus with Mark’s Gospel as Guide, and spend 100 days reading Mark’s Gospel
https://www.lulu.com/shop/search.ep?keyWords=Journey+to+Jesus&type=
Also at:
https://www.amazon.com/Journey-Jesus-Jacqueline-Smallbones/dp/0359969682/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=Journey+to+Jesus&qid=1580212953&s=books&sr=1-3
Some of my Christian friends in the U. S. and South Africa are pro-Trump and surprised that I, also a Christian, oppose him. And I do oppose him. Not because I belong to a different political party and am being loyal to my party. My party affiliation has nothing to do with my opposition to Trump. My Christian beliefs have everything to do with why I cannot support or vote for Donald Trump.
I believe I’ve been called to live a life with the goal of becoming more and more like Jesus, bit by bit, day by day. I believe Jesus repeated called his followers to be awake, alert, able to discern truth from lies, fact from fantasy. He also said, “You will know them by their fruits” (Mt 7:16). It’s up to us to be prayerfully discerning, alert and awake, rooted in prayerful reflection on Scripture. There are four troubling aspects of Trump’s lifestyle that make it impossible for me to vote for him. Three are related to his anti-Christian lifestyle, and the fourth, to some startling similarities between Trump and biblical descriptions of the antichrist. (Remember, John warns, “As you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come.”[1] It’s up to us to remain alert, awake and wise.
First, for many Christians, Trump’s glaring moral failures are overlooked because, they tell me, Trump is ‘pro-life,’ meaning Trump is against abortion and will promote anti-abortion policies and politicians. And that’s a fact. Trump has taken an aggressive stance in promoting anti-abortion policies. However, being against abortion doesn’t make a person pro-life. Trump isn’t pro-life. Just witness the treatment of immigrants at the US/Mexico border.[2] More and more children, along with adults are dying thanks to Trump’s immigration policies. True, there are far fewer deaths at the border than through abortion. But if we’re truly pro-life, one avoidable death matters or should matter to us. I’m also concerned that so many who claim to be Christian have made abortion a central moral issue for Christianity. I’m not arguing for or against the morality of abortion, only against making it a central issue. When I read Scripture, all of it, not just my favorite bits, the central moral and ethical issue that is of deep concern to our God is justice for the poorest of the poor (the widow, the orphan, and yes, the alien and not the fetus in the womb). God is a lover of justice (Ps 99:4); delights in steadfast love, justice and righteousness (Jer 9:24). The Christian church should be standing up for justice for all people, especially the poor and needy, the immigrant (the alien, regardless of status), the oppressed, those who can’t stand up for themselves, not merely the unborn.
Second, Trump’s hallmark claims are the antithesis of the demands Jesus makes of his disciples. Jesus said, “So the last will be first, and the first will be last” (Mt 20:16). He also said, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all” (Mk 9:35). And, “The greatest among you will be your servant” (Mt 23:11). Trump says, “America first,” and “Make America great again,” little realizing that this means, according to Jesus, becoming last not first, and servant to all in Jesus’ kingdom, regardless of ethnicity, gender orientation, language, immigrant status, etc. I do not believe, nor do I read in the Gospels that Jesus called us to be first and the greatest, either as individuals or as a nation.
Third, Jesus expects obedience to the law of love. In answer to the question about the greatest commandment, Jesus quoted from Deuteronomy 6: (“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all mind, and with all your strength”) and Leviticus 19 (“You shall love your neighbor as yourself”). This means that Jesus, who is God-With-Us, demands our total devotion. We’re to have no other gods before him, be those gods a spouse, a material possession, a sport, a pastor or a politician or Donald Trump. And we love God by loving our neighbor. Our neighbor isn’t merely the one who lives on our block or the one who looks and acts like us. In Jesus’ and Old Testament teaching, our neighbor is the stranger, the alien, the legal and illegal immigrant, the poor, the oppressed, anyone who needs mercy and compassion. Trump expects complete devotion to himself and ridicules those who refuse to give it (he calls them ‘never-Trumpers’ or degrades them in a presidential tweet of hate-filled words; and continues to do so in 2024). Trump expects us to despise our neighbors by building walls to keep the poor, the oppressed, the needy alien beyond our sight. This has nothing to do with the good news of Jesus. We are to love the alien among us (Lev 19:33-34, just one of many like verses). There is a curse on those who deprive the alien, the widow, the orphan of justice (Deut 22.19). Israel’s prophets continually advocated for justice for the poor, the widow, the orphan and the alien. Trump, the man the religious right has made their political hero, publicly (at the 2020 National Prayer Breakfast) mocked Jesus’ demand to love our enemies, an injunction that is all over the Bible, not only in Jesus’ teaching. Sadly, the religious right in his audience joined in the laughter suggesting their agreement with him. Were they relieved to be let off the hook by Trump on Jesus’ difficult command? I wonder. We become like what we worship and adore.
Fourth, many of Trump’s practices have similarities with the practices of the anti-Christ as described in Scripture. Repeatedly we’re warned that the anti-Christ and his minions will be boastful and arrogant. Trump has proven to be arrogant and boastful. Daniel, in a vision described in Daniel 7, states that the anti-Christ will possess a mouth that speaks arrogantly, causing Daniel to watch him in shock because of the arrogant words he was speaking. Daniel also warned (comforting the oppressed) that “his dominion shall be taken away, to be consumed and totally destroyed” (v26). In Daniel 11 the anti-Christ is described as “a contemptible person on whom royal majesty had not been conferred; he shall come in without warning and obtain the kingdom through intrigue” (v. 21). After Trump’s election in 2016 some people marveled that he was able to win and “become strong with a small party” (11:23) and we’re warned that all the antichrist’s plans and strongholds will be only for a time (v. 24). Some see Trump’s rise as a miracle and a sign that he’s God’s chosen one. But we should be careful about that. Many, including evangelical leaders, will also see the antichrist as God’s chosen one because he knows how to act like them. The writer of Revelation has Daniel’s words in mind when he described the antichrist (or the beast) as having “a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words” yet “in amazement the whole earth followed the beast” (Rev 13:3-5). Trump daily utters and tweets haughty and blasphemous words (violent and obscene language) about his enemies (meaning anyone who disagrees or opposes him) and amazingly he too has followers, those who adore him, from around the world. However, antichrist (and also Trump) will only be allowed to exercise authority for a limited period. (42 months for the antichrist. Trump was voted out of office in 2020, “fired by 8 million people,” as Harris put it in the 2024 debate.)
As a Christian, I’ll admit that I too struggle to live up to the name Christian (a little Christ). I daily seek to live the way of Jesus, daily get it wrong, so I try again the next day. Everyday.
Jesus appointed his disciples (that is, all Christians) to be with him (live in fellowship with Jesus so that he rubs off on us), to go and proclaim the good news (that Jesus came to set all creation free; anything that oppresses another isn’t of Jesus), and to cast out demons (meaning, confront evil in all its forms in the world).[3] As a Christian, I’m under an obligation to confront all evil, including the evil in the current (now former) President of the United States, D. J. Trump. Therefore, I cannot and will not vote for Trump in the November elections, cannot once again in 2024. Others will disagree with me and vote for him and continue to live the Christian way the best they can. My goal isn’t to persuade them but to encourage them and you to read your Bible, consistently and prayerfully.
With Bartimaeus I continue to pray for myself and Christ’s Church, “Lord, that I may see” (Mark 10:46-52) and see clearly, 20/20 vision in this year of our Lord 2020. And still see with 20/20 vision in the year of our Lord 2024.
[1] 1 John 2:18.
[2] Keep in mind that many of my references, such as this one, are to Trump’s first and only term in office and not to the Biden-Harris administration.
[3] Mark 3:13-19. See the devotion on these verses in Journey to Jesus by Jackie Smallbones.
Jackie L. Smallbones 2020, revised 2024
May be copied, but please let me know if you do. Use the ‘contact me’ tab.
If you’re looking for help in reading the Bible, buy my book, Journey to Jesus with Mark’s Gospel as Guide, and spend 100 days reading Mark’s Gospel
https://www.lulu.com/shop/search.ep?keyWords=Journey+to+Jesus&type=
Also at:
https://www.amazon.com/Journey-Jesus-Jacqueline-Smallbones/dp/0359969682/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=Journey+to+Jesus&qid=1580212953&s=books&sr=1-3
