[This is part 3 of 9 in a series answering the question who American Christians should vote for in the 2024 Presidential election]
Intro – Biden – Trump – Issues Not Addressed – Third Parties
– Biblical View – Fear – Summary – Final Summary]
Can a Christian Vote for Trump?
Caveat off the top – I’m going to try to keep the cons to a manageable number. But here’s the thing – there’s a reason why historians rate him as one of our worst presidents. He has a lot of cons. Rather than think “Boy, this author sure hates Trump, that’s why there’s so many cons.” Maybe think “hey, this guy has a lot of cons. Why am I so supportive of him?”
PROS
Sigh. Ok. How to do this.
I wanted to be fair, so I did some googling to find what Trump’s supporters (including his White House press releases) say were his accomplishments. Here’s the problem – many of them I don’t count.
So, for example, perhaps half of his accomplishments are economy-related, which as I’ve said, I don’t consider as depending on the President, whoever it is.
Secondly, many of his claimed accomplishments are not ones I’m in favor of – like pulling out of the Paris Climate Accords, reducing support for NATO, or closer relationships with dictatorships like North Korea and Russia.
So I will do the best I can.
Signed a bill bringing high speed net to rural America
Tax cut – I’m going to put this as a pro as nod to people who think it’s a good thing. I don’t.
Cut regulation.
Again, I’m putting this as a concession. I’m not really for or against regulations. I like regulations that do what they’re intended to do, and I dislike ones that don’t. I think sometimes people think all regulation is bad, but personally, i like clean water, pork that isn’t going to give me food poisoning, and access for handicapped persons. Some regulations are good. But some are bad, and cutting them is a good thing.
Increased child tax credit
Operation Warp Speed – again, i have a hard time giving Trump credit for this because he was so strongly against anything involving Covid-19, but I’ll at least give his administration credit for this.
Promoted some tech initiatives, particularly AI and quantum computing at the federal level. Kev likes tech, what can I say.
I’ll also give him credit for the CARES act (Covid stimulus), though I think he did more to hamper it than help. But he did sign it, and so that’s good in the end.
Court Appointments (i’ll go into this one more later – as it’s pretty complicated to just call it a “pro” or “con”)
Another controversial one (big surprise) – relations with North Korea and Russia drew closer
(I’m going to just marking Controversial ones with *C* )
*C* moved US embassy to Jerusalem
*C* Increased military spending (I say this is a pro, so there)
Upgraded Cyber Command as part of this, something I think is vitally important.
To my understanding, increased medical support for veterans.
Continued Obama’s pressure on ISIS, though with mixed results
Criminal Justice Reform – same comment as with Biden. I think this is an ongoing reform running through multiple presidencies, but I do think Trump did some good work here.
One thing I think Trump does not get enough credit for is his (what I think) heartfelt desire to curb drug and alcohol use. I don’t think any one president can end drug abuse in the US, but I do think Trump actually felt strongly about the opioid epidemic and did what he could.
Supported extra assistance for Technical Schools
CONS
Another sigh. How to be fair about this.
I don’t want to just do a long list of terrible things, though I think I could. I’ll try to just do the highlights.
Tariff War – despite what Trump says, international trade and tariffs are complex. Part of the rising prices in the US are directly because of Trump’s tariffs and their aftermath, particularly on building materials. Perhaps you’ve noticed the increase in housing repair/prices.
Another tough to decide if pro or con, but Trump tried to pressure OPEC to “raise” the price of oil. This hurts American consumers, but it helps oil producers, like my friends in the Bakken. So, good for some, bad for others.
Moving the embassy to Jerusalem. Yes, I consider this a con. The people actually living in Israel asked him NOT to do this, but he did it anyway, because that’s what his base in America wanted. I think that’s poor leadership.
International Relations
One of the president’s main jobs (perhaps their MAAAIN job) is to represent the US to the outside world. Trump did so much damage in this regard, that it’s hard to even put adequate explanations to it. He clearly does not understand international diplomacy, which is bad in and of itself, but he also refuses to listen to his advisors who do.
Which means Putin, for example, got everything he wanted in the Caucauses, and led to the Ukraine war. It means that one of our strongest allies in the area, the Kurds, have publicly said they will no longer make treaties with the US, because they cannot be trusted. (it’s hard to emphasize how damaging this reputation is to the US’s ability to have influence in the world).
I’ve written on this elsewhere, but the short summary is Trump has damaged the US reputation, and consequently our ability to influence the world, for decades to come.
Another of the President’s jobs is to unite America, as best they can. It is a difficult job, as in just about every election, 40% of the voters did not get their candidate. Most presidents have tried to rise above this, some of them to the point of working with the “other” party to get legislation passed.
Trump did the opposite. His goal was not to compromise and get things done, but to “win” and overpower the democrats. The result was a near standstill to legislation, and a rapidly increasing divide in the US.
Attacks on the Media
Again, historically speaking, when a leader starts attacking the media, it is not a great sign. A free press, one that criticizes the leader, is important. Having outlets against him infuriates Trump, but that’s par for the course. The bigger issue is Trump’s use of legislation to curb the press, and his threats to do more if re-elected.
Being mad that CNN is unfair to you is one thing, and might even be true. But using political force to silence them is in an entirely different category.
Losing the Election
Yes, he lost. Even the courts and people in own administration agree, so no, there’s not some hankypanky with the election, certainly not to the extent that it affected the outcome. He lost. Accept it.
The attempts to influence the election are very troubling to me. The attempts to find votes, the ongoing calls to “monitor” the next election, and so forth, hit at the heart of what makes America what it is. People need to trust elections. Trust me as the amateur historian here.
The peaceful transfer of power is probably the most important act Washington ever did. And his example has passed down for 200 years. And now Trump is calling that into question. Will the next loser of an election do the same thing? I don’t know. But Trump has shown that you can, and that violence can follow. And he doesn’t care. Winning is more important than the ideals of America. And I think that in and of itself is one of the biggest “cons” I can think of.
Finally, he was impeached twice, and convicted of a felony once (so far).
My friends, you can’t work at Best Buy if you’re a felon. Maybe being President shouldn’t be on the list either.
(I will say, i think the first impeachment was pretty shaky. )
Character
This is the big one for Christians, in my opinion. I don’t know anyone, even Trump supporters, that claim he has good character. Many of the Christian supporters of Trump I know will say things like “you just don’t like his mean tweets,” or “Put the man aside,” or whatever. Essentially, we admit he has bad character, but the results of his policies are good, so it’s alright.
The thing is, as Christians, we DON’T put the man aside. I believe the Bible says character in leadership matters. The whole book of Proverbs, and most of the historical books of the Old Testament enforce this idea. Poor character in leadership has consequences, usually for the people who follow them. This should go without saying, but we should take what the Bible teaches seriously.
I read one comment that said Trump is “Unfettered by common conceptions of morality.” I think that’s the best way to say it. He has almost no guiding morality, or policies, or loyalties. He does what he wants, in the moment. I suppose some people could admire that, but I find it a disastrous flaw for a political leader.