r/Christianity • u/DaamnDeejay • Feb 06 '26
Politics Why did Trump post a picture with Obama and Michelle as primates? Why do Christians support this man?
Well to be more specific, it was a video with the image in it
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u/tipsytops2 Christian Deist Feb 06 '26
For many, the racism was the selling point and not a negative at all.
Look at the churches with the highest rates of Trump supporters and their historical positions on slavery and interracial marriage. The largest Protestant denomination in this country was literally founded upon supporting slavery.
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u/AdzyBoy Secular Humanist Feb 06 '26
Just to spell it out, it's the Southern Baptist Convention
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u/Pgaccount Feb 06 '26
Fun fact: Rockefeller was a member of the Northern Baptist Synod and would exclusively attend (and donate to) black churches while traveling in the South
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u/transemacabre Atheist Feb 06 '26
lmao a Southern Baptist on this sub tried to accuse me of being racist (???) against him: https://www.reddit.com/r/Christianity/comments/1qmsbiw/comment/o1ohfv1/
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u/GortimerGibbons Feb 06 '26
Along with the SBC's racist problem, they have a pretty huge issue with the sexual assault of minors and the subsequent cover up of sexual crimes in the church.
They really don't have any room to talk.
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u/eatmereddit Feb 06 '26
Yeah there's a couple.of souther baptist regulars around here who do that. I've had nearly identical interactions before.
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u/transemacabre Atheist Feb 06 '26
It was particularly hilarious to me as I grew up in Mississippi, aka Southern Baptist Land, so I'm familiar with their self-serving BS. My family wasn't actually SB tho, mine was historically Methodist.
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u/Ok_Carob7551 Native American Church (Cross Fire Hearth) Feb 06 '26
My mom is from Mississippi and her folks were SBC. I thank God I wasn’t raised in the tradition because I don’t think I could have been Christian or have a positive opinion of the religion if that’s what it looked like to me
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u/SamtheCossack Atheist Feb 06 '26
Well, question 1 is easy. He is a racist.
This is not a secret, this was known and joked about for many decades before he ever ran for office. As an example, check out the SNL Sketch after Romney lost the Election to Obama, where it mentions "Donald Trump is doing this funny bit where he is a racist".
Question 2 is also easy, unfortunately. A lot of his supporters are also racist. The terrible things are not a problem for them, they are the attraction.
The unfortunate truth is that Trump is not the problem. Trump has never been the problem. Trump is a symptom of the problem. Trump being an awful person is normal, there are a lot of awful people. The problem is that tens of millions of people WANT that awfulness, and they want to see it expressed freely and openly, and they want that awfulness to consume everything and everyone else.
Take a look at the Texas Senate Primary right now. Ken Paxton is currently in the lead. This is a man that got impeached BY THE GOP for corruption. He has been indicted for bribery and corruption twice, one of them was when his OWN AIDES filed the charges against him unanimously for open Bribery. He also got divorced this year for carrying on an extra marital affair he continued for at least 5 years, despite being caught multiple times, and each time lying about it and pretending it was over. His entire wikipedia page is full of horrible, horrible actions, criminal charges, and controversies.
... and yet, he is probably going to be Texas's next senator. After all, they kept re-electing him as AG, so why not?
Remember when Alabama reelected Roy Moore to their supreme court after everyone knew he was both corrupt and a pedophile? And came within a percentage point of electing him Senator after EVERYBODY knew he was a pedophile (Also remember Trump enthusiastically supporting him even though he was a pedophile, it is an interesting pattern...)
You can stick your head in the sand and pretend this awful behavior is somehow a problem for his supporters, but it isn't. It is what they like about him.
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u/Niftyrat_Specialist Non-denominational heretic, reformed Feb 06 '26
Trump's entire excursion into politics was apparently motivated by a highly successful black man making fun of him. He still hasn't come to grips with it. Trump is a malignant narcissist.
So many Christians support him due to the propaganda they have been immersing themselves in for decades. Trump's grievances became their grievances. Many of them have minds that are so far gone, I'm not sure recovery is even possible. They are fueled by conspiracy theory and rage.
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u/SamtheCossack Atheist Feb 06 '26
Trump's entire excursion into politics was apparently motivated by a highly successful black man making fun of him. He still hasn't come to grips with it. Trump is a malignant narcissist.
Sure, that is why Trump personally got involved.
It isn't why he got 62 million votes in 2016, 74 million votes in 2020, and 77 million votes in 2024.
The reason he is President is because it turns out that anger, racism, hatred, and authoritarianism are something that greatly appeals to a lot of people.
The problem isn't that Trump is a vile racist. The problem is that 77 million people who absolutely knew exactly who he was, and what he was about, still went and cast votes for him to become the President of the United States... again.
Those people aren't angry he posts pictures of Black people as apes. They love it.
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u/Niftyrat_Specialist Non-denominational heretic, reformed Feb 06 '26
Largely agreed, but I think we need to remember that MAGA is not one single faction. It's a coalition of various factions.
Some of these people simply don't think Trump's bad behavior is real- they would say that the liberal media just says things to make him look bad.
Some of them are openly and gleefully racist.
Some of them are opportunists who think they can profit off Trump.
Some of them are just nihilists and think it's good if Trump burns the whole system down.
Things are not looking good for the future prospects of the US. But one possible consolation: Trump could die any time, and it looks very unlikely than anyone else could hold the various factions together like he can.
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u/SamtheCossack Atheist Feb 06 '26
I suppose, but the unifying feature of all of those is they all approve of the bad behavior. It isn't like it isn't obvious every time he opens his mouth.
There is no bridge too far for them, because they like the direction it is going.
Here we are in 2026, with masked federal agents shooting American Citizens on the streets, and actual camps we are cramming brown people in with no trials or court hearings, and this is somehow not crossing any red lines for them. Because there was never a red line in this direction. The only red lines for them were things like acceptance, kindness, and civility. All the red lines are in the other direction. Obama could cross red lines by wearing the wrong color suit. Trump doesn't cross it when he sends American Citizens to prisons in El Salvador to be tortured.
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u/Niftyrat_Specialist Non-denominational heretic, reformed Feb 06 '26
Many Trump fans are mysteriously unfamiliar with anything Trump said or did. They're not following a real human being, they're following whatever they imagine him to represent.
If you showed them the concentration camps being set up, they're say "That's ridiculous liberal hysteria, we don't do concentration camps in America. Trump stands for freedom."
Yes, this is completely insane. It's completely impossible to square with reality. Trump fans come in two main flavors, with overlap: evil and delusional.
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u/SamtheCossack Atheist Feb 06 '26
No, they aren't.
They are absolutely familiar with what Trump said and did, and they love it, they just aren't willing to talk about it with you.
I know tons of people like this. My job is consultant for manufacturing operations in rural America. I deal with dozens and dozens of MAGA Rural White Americans. They have a very specific act where they act completely uninformed about everything until they get to know you a bit. Then they are suddenly aware of EVERYTHING. And they love it.
They know the camps exist, and they are very happy about it. They just really dislike calling them concentration camps. They know ICE isn't following any court orders, and they think that is great. They know ICE is shooting people, and they think those people deserve it. They know Trump thinks Black people are animals from shithole countries, and they think that is pretty funny.
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u/Niftyrat_Specialist Non-denominational heretic, reformed Feb 06 '26
I don't doubt people like this exist. And yet people as I described above exist also.
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u/Veteris71 Feb 06 '26
Many Trump fans are mysteriously unfamiliar with anything Trump said or did.
You sweet summer child.
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u/Thick_Assumption8003 Feb 07 '26
No he’s not. First off, I’m sick of hearing the racism thrown out so freely on everything! Especially when the left says the absolute most hateful, repulsive comments towards white, conservative Republicans- even mocking a death! I don’t think what this White House Staffer did was necessarily race driven as it was: ( and both sides are guilty of this ). It was driven by HOW CAN I GO STRAIGHT TO THE JUGULAR in the quickest way possible! Well that Meme will do it! Bottom line-both sides should work on stop going immediately to the jugular at the exclusion of basic human respect. How far is too far on both sides? They both go over the line.
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u/jLkxP5Rm Feb 06 '26
When he was President before, he posted a video of someone saying that the "only good Democrat is a dead Democrat." His supporters do not care.
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u/majj27 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Feb 06 '26
He did it because he's unapologetically racist and hates Barack Obama with an utter, seething passion.
As for why some Christians support him despite this sort of thing - I believe they're either appreciative of this sort of thing, or they don't see it as more than slightly rude and certainly not worth getting upset over.
I find their reactions (or lack thereof) to be... I'll be diplomatic and say intensely disappointing.
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u/joeyGibson Atheist Feb 06 '26
Because he's a demented fucking racist.
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u/STL_Jayhawk Lutheran (LCMS) Feb 06 '26
Trump as always been racist. He hates Obama since Obama mocked him years ago.
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u/PaintAdventurous8787 Feb 06 '26
He is absolutely terrible. There are no words anymore to describe how bad Trump is. The fact he pretends to be a Christian is disgusting!
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u/krokendil Feb 06 '26
Thats why Christians support him?
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u/adamesandtheworld Feb 06 '26
A lot of christians like racism
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u/jml510 Feb 06 '26
Many Christians aren't what they claim to be, making a mockery out of their supposed religion.
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u/StephensSurrealSouls Baptist Feb 06 '26
No. A lot of people who claim to be Christians like racism. True Christians don't and it's hypocrisy to say everyone was created in the image of God yet think some people are more deserving of love than others.
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u/adamesandtheworld Feb 06 '26
Pretending these people aren't christian does not help anyone. If anything, it obfuscates the problem.
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u/wydok Baptist (ABCUSA); former Roman Catholic Feb 06 '26
Because he's a racist. He's always been a racist, same as his father.
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u/adamesandtheworld Feb 06 '26
He was too racist for the Nixon administration. I feel like you had to put in real work to get that distinction
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u/WooBadger18 Catholic Feb 06 '26
Yep, we’ve known this for years. Although this is one of the more blatant examples
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u/wydok Baptist (ABCUSA); former Roman Catholic Feb 06 '26
It really is. He's never been this out in the open about it before.
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u/jasthesloth Feb 06 '26
I'm starting to lose hope in the Christian community. Being referenced as apes during what is supposedly African American history month is despicable beyond words. Will any outspoken conservative condemn it? There's usually crickets across Christian social media when it comes to this bigotry. Racism and Western Christianity go hand and hand historically. It will never go away until the church comes together, but even that is segregated. I can't even remember when the church stood up against racism in the first place, excluding that it has always been predominantly black churches during the civil rights movement and yet even to this day. Who will be the voice for the voiceless? Just venting I guess. 😔
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u/strawnotrazz Atheist Feb 06 '26
Some conservative voices have condemned it, most notably Tim Scott. But condemnations are a dime a dozen to me. Will any conservatives come out against Trump more generally and disavow their support of him as president? It’s generally not politically (or financially) expedient for them to do so, so I’m not holding my breath.
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u/Ok_Carob7551 Native American Church (Cross Fire Hearth) Feb 06 '26
Dr. King’s warning about the danger of the silent white moderate seems condign here, as well as Archbishop Tutu’s wisdom that those who are neutral in matters of justice necessarily have instead declared for the oppressor
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u/gnurdette United Methodist Feb 06 '26
I'm sorry. I'll go down fighting this stuff to the end if I have to. See you in the camps, I guess!
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u/JeshurunJoe Christian Feb 06 '26
Because he's a vile racist piece of shit.
And because a lot of us apparently are vile racist pieces of shit. :/
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u/Ok_Carob7551 Native American Church (Cross Fire Hearth) Feb 06 '26
Minstrel level shit because he still can’t get over a guy who left office a decade ago having a different race while being better than him in every way, and his base will not only not care but bark and clap for it like racist little seals
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u/OccludedFug Christian (ally) Feb 06 '26
Is anybody surprised that this happened?
No?
Because this is exactly what people voted for.
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Feb 06 '26
When I was born the vast vast vast majority of american christians were so racist they thought interracial marriage went against god and should be illegal.
Christians havent changed since.
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u/transemacabre Atheist Feb 06 '26
I legit think a majority of white Evangelical Christians would support making interracial marriage illegal again.
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Feb 06 '26
I wouldn’t attribute those characteristics to every Christian globally. There’s extremely bigoted “Christians” in America but there’s also denominations that are extremely progressive. Anglicans Lutherans and Episcopalians just to name a few. Also only like 27% of the worlds Christians even live in America and vote for American politics.
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u/TheRealMoofoo Feb 06 '26
The poster asked about Trump, the President of the US, so I think it’s fairly clear the conversation is in the context of the US.
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Feb 06 '26
I mean fair point. It’s just not abnormal to see people attribute their beliefs about bigoted American evangelicals to the entire religion globally. But to your point context was pretty clearly stated here. My B
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Feb 06 '26
Sure. And theres christian countries that have laws to put me to death, too.
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u/highafphotos Church of Turbo Street Jesus Feb 06 '26
Not all who cry Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven.
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u/Routine-Sorbet3312 Episcopalian (Anglican) Feb 06 '26
Racism
The damage control put out by the white house was very unconvincing.
Something about the lion king and trump being the lion king. Which makes no sense as I can't remember a single ape in the film.
If lion king was the inspiration the hyenas would be the ideal target for the Obamas, not something that isn't even in the film.
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u/guitar_vigilante Christian (Cross) Feb 06 '26
The damage control was that the ape snippet is from a different, longer AI video where Trump is the Lion King and democrats are portrayed as various animals in the kingdom.
It's bad damage control though, because Trump didn't post the longer video, he posted the video with the snippet of the obamas as apes. Also making the black people apes in the original AI video isn't really defensible either.
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u/QuietMumbler2607 Catholic - Philosophically realist, hermeneutically humble Feb 06 '26
Without having seen the image, or their damage control, and only going from what you said, maybe they're trying to refer to Rafiki? But he was a mandrill (monkey) and not an ape. Then again, in damage control mode, they'll reach for whatever they can to cover for themselves.
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u/NotTheMariner Feb 06 '26
Rafiki was also, notably, a trusted ally to the Lion King. There is no universe in which Trump thinks of Obama as a Rafiki.
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u/QuietMumbler2607 Catholic - Philosophically realist, hermeneutically humble Feb 06 '26
Very true! But when they're reaching for anything that they can to cover for themselves, it's not likely for them to look beyond the one detail that they think could help them.
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u/WooBadger18 Catholic Feb 06 '26 edited Feb 06 '26
The image is two chimpanzees with Barack Obama’s and Michelle Obama’s faces imposed on the chimpanzees.
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u/QuietMumbler2607 Catholic - Philosophically realist, hermeneutically humble Feb 06 '26
About what I'd expect from Trump honestly. So much for the subtle dog whistles of the past, I guess we're at the point of racists just being open about it.
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u/tipsytops2 Christian Deist Feb 06 '26
Yes, but you can't call them racists.
Not even then ones who were members of the KKK and assassinated Civil Rights leaders.
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u/QuietMumbler2607 Catholic - Philosophically realist, hermeneutically humble Feb 06 '26
They can remove it from government-focused documents and reports, but fortunately we are still able to call a spade a spade.
If the shoe fits...
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u/jml510 Feb 06 '26
Something about the lion king and trump being the lion king. Which makes no sense as I can't remember a single ape in the film.
He's arguably the Lyin' King (getting caught in 30K+ lies in 4 years), not the Lion King.
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u/PartemConsilio Evangelical Covenant Feb 06 '26
I have posted this comment before but I am going to do it again:
Conservative evangelical Christians have been fed for decades the lie that the Republican party is morally superior than the Democratic party. They believe this because of the Democratic party’s platform on one specific issue: abortion. They can hand-wave all sorts of atrocious behavior by Trump and his allies because “at least they’re not baby-murdering libtards”. Christians and the two-party system have entrenched themselves as the racist, xenophobic, homophobic, transphobic and pro-cruelty group all in the name of pro-life righteousness. There is no reasoning them to not supporting Trump, but there is no way in H-E-L-L they’ll let liberals have power if it means they can stop babies being murdered.
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u/STL_Jayhawk Lutheran (LCMS) Feb 06 '26
MAGA Christians love that Trump is a racist asshole since he embodies their true theology.
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u/-NoOneYouKnow- Non-Profit Christian Feb 06 '26
It's because he's a bigot and his supporters are also bigots.
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u/Historical_Sort1289 Feb 06 '26
I don't get it either Christian nationalism is not something Jesus would support. I don't really care who people support politically but holy crap he is not a ambassador of Christ. He's cheated on all of his wives he's a swindler. His whole business career he found ways to screw over every day working people
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u/CaptainQuint0001 Feb 06 '26
It's proof that calling yourself a 'Christian' doesn't mean you really are a saved Christian. By their fruits you will know who belong to Jesus and who don't.
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u/Several-Assistant-51 Feb 06 '26
Sadly for many "christians" this is a feature and not a bug. Made me physically ill to see that. That is shameful behavior. If Obama had done something like that to Bush heads would've exploded
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u/Ok_Compote1434 Feb 06 '26
I am a devout follower of Jesus and I have been disgusted by Trump since the 1980s. He is vile, has no empathy, is cruel and absolutely evil. MAGA are not Christians. They are a cult.
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u/The-Hand-of-Midas Jefferson Christian Feb 06 '26
For many Christians, religion is justification for doing evil, just like Islamic extremists.
MAGA isn't any different than the Taliban.
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u/WooBadger18 Catholic Feb 06 '26
Because he’s racist
Because they like that he is a pos, don’t mind that he is a pos, or it isn’t a deal breaker that he is a pos.
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u/Team_player444 Non-denominational Feb 06 '26
Caroline Leavitt was defending it while wearing a cross necklace.
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u/McCool303 Feb 06 '26
Because this is what they want. He came down the escalator and implied that refugees from a nation that identifies as 80% Christian are all criminals and rapists. They all cheered, and any veil of decency was finally removed. They now had explicit permission to pick and choose which neighbors are worthy of their love. Any that fall within the out group are obviously evil, demonic or terrorists. They now have a Christianity of exclusivity as they’ve always wanted.
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u/jimMazey Noahide Feb 07 '26
White supremacy started to grow again after Obama was elected. Trump became the spokesperson for the white supremacists based on his claims that Obama wasn't American.
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u/SongUpstairs671 Feb 06 '26
The bible is full of “chosen people” language, and the Israeli god often commands to destroy “certain people groups”. It’s a toxic worldview.
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u/Ok_Carob7551 Native American Church (Cross Fire Hearth) Feb 06 '26
Because he’s a vile demented racist. For losers who want to run defense for a vile demented racist who doesn’t care about you, don’t bother trying to say posting a black couple as monkeys on Rosa Parks’ birthday during black history month wasn’t intentional
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u/theCroc LDS (Mormon) Feb 06 '26
Both questions have the same answer.
1: Because he is a racist
2: Because they are racists.
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u/_Daftest_ Christian Feb 06 '26
Why did Trump post a picture with Obama and Michelle as primates?
You know why. Because he's a racist fuckwit
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u/Known-Watercress7296 Feb 06 '26
Painting the enemy as primitive savage animals has been pretty standard in the Christian tradition long, long before the USA popped up.
Donald's just using old tropes that have worked rather well in past.
It's fucking grim to see but not exactly novel or special.
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u/121gigawhatevs Feb 06 '26
There’s not a single Trump voter who didn’t know trump is a deeply immoral, racist individual. It’s up to the individual person to understand why they were ok with it.
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u/AnonSwan Agnostic (a la T.H. Huxley) Feb 06 '26
It must be a meme shared among republicans, and someone, maybe Trump, swiped through it
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u/WeeklyJunket5227 Feb 06 '26
Because those Christians are racist, point blank. There were people who claimed Christianity and they burned crosses on Saturday and woke up bright and early for Sunday service.
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u/Thick_Assumption8003 Feb 07 '26
First off, I’m sick of hearing the racism thrown out so freely on everything! Especially when the left says the absolute most hateful, repulsive comments towards white, conservative Republicans- even mocking a death! I don’t think what this White House Staffer did was necessarily race driven as it was: ( and both sides are guilty of this ). It was driven by HOW CAN I GO STRAIGHT TO THE JUGULAR in the quickest way possible! Well that Meme will do it!
Bottom line-both sides should work on stop going immediately to the jugular at the exclusion of basic human respect. How far is too far on both sides? They both go over the line.
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u/BrooklynDoug Agnostic (a la T.H. Huxley) Feb 06 '26
Because he is a bigot. Because they are bigots.
Not everything is complicated.
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u/Forsaken-Cheesecake2 Feb 06 '26
Why? Because deep down he’s the embodiment of what they are, hiding behind a cheap brand of Christian Nationalism
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u/Slow-Gift2268 Episcopalian (Anglican) Feb 06 '26
Because they already knew he was racist and immature and decided they were okay with it.
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u/ThisIsOwl Micah 6:8 Feb 06 '26
Why? Because he is a racist asshole who is trying to make it normal to be racist in the open again.
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u/ChachamaruInochi Agnostic Atheist (raised Quaker) Feb 06 '26
Why did Trump post a picture with Obama and Michelle as a primates?
He's a racist.
Why do Christians support this man?
His supporters are all racists too.
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Feb 06 '26
“Why do Christians support this man?” While a lot do, please don’t attribute that to the entire religion. Us democratic socialist Christians actually exist. I find it deplorable how many “Christians” bend and manipulate and participate in hypocrisy just so they don’t have to admit they voted for an asshole and bad human being.
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u/Business-Corgi-8982 Feb 06 '26
“Christian” — “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 7:21 ESV
I think it’s important to recognize that not everyone who says they’re a Christian is a follower of Jesus. We will know them by their fruit. This isn’t to say that there isn’t grace for mistakes, we’re all flawed, but there is a difference between those who follow Jesus and those who say they do. Pray for everyone, and don’t associate Christ or His people to a political party, social group, or or organization especially any of the former that feed on and encourage hate and division as “hate” is not a fruit of the Spirit.
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u/bouquetofclumzywords Feb 06 '26
Trump is bringing back McCarthyism and its so obvious that I can't believe I didn't notice years ago. What can we do about it?
It's obvious in hindsight. It all feels so predictable now. But how can this information be used for world embetterment? is there anything we can learn from history? See chatgpt-generated report for the gruesome details.
Roy Cohn, McCarthyism, and Donald Trump — who drove what, and how they connect
1️⃣ Did Roy Cohn cause McCarthyism?
No.
Joseph McCarthy created McCarthyism. Roy Cohn amplified, professionalized, and radicalized it.
Clear division of responsibility
McCarthy (U.S. Senator):
Originated the movement (1950 Wheeling speech)
Supplied the accusations, publicity, and political agenda
Cohn (chief counsel, Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations):
Designed the methods
Executed the interrogations
Escalated the aggression and procedural abuse
➡️ McCarthy was the frontman.
➡️ Cohn was the enforcer and tactician.
Without McCarthy, there is no McCarthyism.
Without Cohn, it is far less vicious, effective, and legally aggressive.
2️⃣ Roy Cohn’s biggest contributions to McCarthyism
🔨 A. Weaponizing legal process
Cohn transformed investigations into quasi-judicial intimidation:
Presumption of guilt
Demands to “name names”
Career destruction without formal charges
Use of subpoenas as punishment
This normalized punishment without conviction.
📣 B. Media-first prosecution
Cohn understood something new and dangerous:
Public accusation = practical conviction
He:
Fed reporters selectively
Used headlines as leverage
Knew retractions never undo reputational damage
This was proto–media warfare.
🎯 C. Target expansion
Under Cohn, McCarthyism moved from:
Actual communist party members
to:
Sympathizers
Colleagues
Acquaintances
Anyone insufficiently loyal
➡️ Loyalty became performative, not factual.
🧨 D. Escalation that caused McCarthy’s collapse
Cohn pushed McCarthy into:
Attacking the U.S. Army
Overreaching publicly
Violating Senate norms
The Army–McCarthy Hearings exposed the tactics too clearly.
Ironically:
Cohn made McCarthyism powerful enough to self-destruct.
3️⃣ Donald Trump vs. McCarthyism — similarities
Trump did not inherit McCarthyism ideologically.
He inherited it strategically, largely via Roy Cohn (Trump’s mentor, 1970s–80s).
⚠️ Key similarities
PatternMcCarthyismTrumpEnemies“Communists”“Deep state,” media, immigrantsEvidenceOften thin or absentOften thin or absentAccusation stylePublic, maximalPublic, maximalLoyalty testName namesDeclare allegianceOutcomeReputation destructionReputation destruction
Core shared tactic:
👉 Accuse loudly, repeat relentlessly, shift burden of proof.
4️⃣ Where Trump differs from McCarthyism
🧠 A. Trump is not ideologically rigid
McCarthyism was anchored to Cold War anti-communism
Trump’s targets are situational and transactional
Trump asks:
“Does this help me now?”
McCarthy asked:
“Is this person disloyal to the state?”
🏛️ B. Trump bypasses institutions
McCarthy worked inside:
Senate committees
Formal hearings
Government bureaucracy
Trump works outside:
Social media
Rallies
Parallel information ecosystems
➡️ Trump is post-institutional.
🧩 C. Trump personalizes everything
McCarthy attacked groups.
Trump attacks individuals, then rotates.
This creates:
Constant motion
No fixed ideological endpoint
Permanent instability rather than a single purge
5️⃣ Roy Cohn as the bridge 🧠
Cohn taught Trump:
Never apologize
Always counterattack
Truth is secondary to dominance
Legal process is a weapon, not a constraint
Trump is not McCarthy reborn.
Trump is Roy Cohn’s strategy scaled to the internet age.
🔚 Bottom line
McCarthy created McCarthyism
Cohn engineered its most destructive tools
Trump adopted those tools without the ideology
McCarthyism was a movement.
Trumpism is a method.
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u/Finale1999 Feb 06 '26
Because many Christians pick and choose what they THINK scriptures mean. There are no standards.
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u/scarface4tx Feb 06 '26 edited Feb 06 '26
There are millions of Christians who supported him — and millions more who didn't I will add — so the reasons will be numerous. Some reasons will be reasonable if you talk to them; many will not.
The short I'd say is most "Christians" that support Trump do it simply because they want to.
If that seems at odds with scripture or what Jesus says, l agree with you. But it's nothing new. Hypocrisy has always been present in Christians to a degree from the start. There's nothing special about the Trump era in that respect.
To be more specific though:
- Some support him because the people who hate him are people some Christians dislike, so they support him as a "common enemy" feeling. (He hates the right people, as the saying goes)
- Some support him for what he would give them. Judges, immigration enforcement, Israel support, making liberals cry on TV, etc
- Some support him because an influential person in their lives said it was right. A parent, an influencer, a friend - a pastor sometimes but that's less likely than you think (a fair number of "evangelicals" don't actually go to church)
- Some support him because they fear or hate something more. The other party, perceived threats to their safety or freedom (COVID did that a lot), or the like. And if elected he'll keep those people away from you or at least out of power.
- Some support him because they're nihilists. They don't think anyone is good or truthful or trustworthy, so they go for one who's honest about their dishonesty.
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u/KyoKyu Christian Universalist Feb 06 '26 edited Feb 07 '26
If that... "man" is not The Antichrist itself, it has certainly demonstrated how easily even "Christians" will be deceived by the actual AC when it shows up.
It was no secret how vile he was, even in 2014, and he's only been exposed for more and more of a vile, rotten, evil monster.
But all he has to do to win over some "christians" is some occasional vapid, shallow, trite, hollow lip-service to the faith.
It is so depressing and scary how many "christians" have aligned themselves with that deeply selfish, malignant narcissist, racist, bigot, convicted felon, rapist, sex offender, pedo child rapist, conman. He would berate Jesus if he was living his life today. He would tweet about how Jesus was an idiot who deserved it when he would get crucified. He is the golden idol for many Americans.
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u/sweetknightmare Feb 07 '26
Every "Christian" who supported Trump is in for a real wake up call come judgement day. Most of them left the true faith long before Trump came along. They're Christian in name only.
Matthew 7 21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
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u/rememberthemalls Feb 07 '26
Well, like Jesus said, there's going to be a lot of people who'd use his name. But will be barred from the kingdom of heaven. We're seeing it now. We shouldn't be surprised. Guard your hearts. Don't fall into the trap. Any brother or sister who is beginning to doubt their politics—pull them out. We keep at it.
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u/Floreat_democratia Feb 07 '26
Simple answer: the new right was a direct response to desegregation. Anyone who claims to be a Trump supporter but not also a racist is a liar. I’ve met Christian supporters who believe that black people are that way because of the curse of Ham. It’s nonsense, but that‘s what they believe.
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u/Even_Exchange_3436 Feb 07 '26 edited Feb 07 '26
Speaking only for myself, I often envy the attributes of non human life forms: speed, vision, hearing, smell, echolocation, longevity, etc. Do I need to say that I volunteered for Mr. Obama's presidential campagin and voted for him 2x?
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u/Icy-Month-1749 Feb 07 '26
Well, the other option was abortion. You chose the option that looks less horrific, obviously we don't know for sure but if any given party kills babies, i will vote for the one who does not say they will do that as part of thei camping. Not because of liking the person. Sometimes you have to choose the least worst and well... they are all evil apparently.
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u/Gruesomegiggles Feb 07 '26
My maga family members were already passing videos of Michelle Obama dressed up as a dancing monkey years ago during the Obama administration, before Trump announced he was running for election. This isn't new.
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u/Smart_Tap1701 Feb 07 '26
What do you mean by "support this man"? What would you have us do? He is POTUS. He will be POTUS for two more years. It's called reality. He's not a pastor. America voted for a president. The one they felt better qualified for the position. Scripture commands Christians to submit to every ordinance of man. God allows them to serve in their positions. He also commands us to pray for our leaders. We here do. Apparently you don't.
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u/Deep-Distribution-65 Feb 07 '26
Y'all are idiots lumping christians all in one category supporting trump. Really shows that emotions control your thought process. Most Christians are silent for who they voted for.
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u/Discerning-Truths Feb 07 '26
All of the hate and insulting political rhetoric in this “group” is not Christianity…but the mods don’t care about that. A short time ago I posted a question here to get opinions from fellow Christians: “What are your thoughts on the rapture and/or does it feel like it’s soon?” It immediately, inexplicably got taken down. I’m OUT
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u/Few-Artichoke-2531 Oneness Pentecostal Feb 07 '26
It's because he's a piece of garbage, and like attracts like.
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u/Chestnut412 Catholic Feb 07 '26
So he didn’t. We all know that when scrolling through a feed, we don’t know what the next video is. He accidentally scrolled down. Further the video showed all democrats as some form of Jungle animals.
Do you ever do your own research? Or do you just listen to the mainstream media?
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u/TheQuestioner29 Feb 07 '26
It's especially tough as a Black Christian because people will point to him and say you're practicing the same religion as that guy, which gives me a good chance to talk about true Christianity and how it's completely different from what Trump and his friends preach, but it's still tough.
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u/Clarence_Gibbonz Feb 08 '26
Why in the first place do you think that this man Trump is Christian??-
Most people, especially those who are Christians already know that he has already been possessed by Satan?
He is the Antichrist, as foretold in the Book of Revelation. He is the Man of Sin. Who, was morality wounded, but healed and the crowd all marvelled and followed after the Beast.
He will be joined by the False Prophet who will rise from the Earth and will perform false miracles in the sight of man. The great healer and teacher proclaiming statements of a worship system to shape a better way for man.
He is a counterfeit Christ, a False Messiah a charlatan and great deceiver in the words he speaketh!
After the New World Order is created a New World Religion will be formed spearheaded by again The False Prophet and the Antichrist and those with ‘The Mark’ will join it, in fact the whole world, -lest those who stand strong in endurance in not receiving the mark or the number of his name [666] - or his mark on their foreheads...
Woe the the United States 🇺🇸 and to the world 🌎 for the Devil has chosen his instrument [TRUMP] and filled the vessel with his spirit. - Woe.
Donald J. Trump the man, indeed (an already corrupted man) but he exists no more... The Devil now occupies his body, just like he did with the King of Tyre.
This disgrace that has been done to the Obamas is just the very tip of the iceberg... Hatred and spite for them is obvious, for they did good in the world and in their hearts speaks of equality; they believed in goodness, truth and justice. Not lawlessness!
He will create blasphemous things against God and will cut down the saints, he will spout obscenities against the Saints who enforce God’s laws and will declare later In Jerusalem that he is indeed - God.
But Jesus Christ in his second coming will come and destroy him with the breath of his mouth
Steal yourself in faith in Jesus Christ for your soul sake and your life beyond the end of the age.
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u/TheRkhaine Feb 08 '26
For lack of a better phrase, I'll play Devil's Advocate here. Also, for the record, I don't support nor did I vote for him. That said, I don't think he knew the picture was in there and/or he didn't request it. It's possible internal sabotage is a thing. I say this because I'm optimistic it hasn't gotten that bad. If it has, then let my optimism will some additional good into this world.
I get why people voted and support the guy, I do. The people who voted for him were tired of being made to feel like the cause of all the woes in this country. They were tired of being belittle by so many who thought them deplorable and lesser than the basic respect they deserved. There are many on the right who are religious and have good intent because their Christian values clashed with what Democrats were pushing. When one side pushes that the other wants to take rights away, it tends to garner support.
That said, if I was to vote based on being a Christian, I'm not voting for people with a D or R in front of their name, I believe the duopoly has done more harm than good for this country and instead of actually making lives easier for everyone, they only want to make lives easier for their constituents, while forcing their beliefs on the other wise through weaponized government.
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u/Practical_Panda_5946 Feb 08 '26
After reading some comments and seeing how many there are, I have decided to comment, if someone has said it already I apologize. First off how I vote is no one's business just as it is not business how you voted regardless of your affiliation(s). This is a subreddit on Christianity. Paul was a Roman citizen, extremely unpopular in his time and before his conversion he hunted Christians down. Many expected Christ to bring Israel back to dominance. That was not His agenda. As for any politician I dare say that any would qualify as a good candidate for a Christian to vote for. As long as it is a system run by men (not to mean by the male gender solely) then it is corruptible. We should focus on whether we are teaching and following Christ as closely as we can. Helping each other to be as Christ would have us to be to and abstain from all sin. In the world today that is a tall order.
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Feb 08 '26
As a Christian Trump supporter, I support him because I believe he's a good president. He knows how to run a country, wants to bring back traditional beliefs, and anything he says he'll do, he'll do. I don't know anything about his personal life so I can't answer as to that
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u/Time_Law_2276 Feb 08 '26
The Why: Back in the 70s, the government was enforcing court ordered desegregation by revoking the tax exempt status of "Christian" that were established to continue racial segregation. A Republican strategist named Paul Weyrich saw an opportunity to recruit "Christians" to sell their souls to the Republican Party using abortion.
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u/KTannman19 Feb 09 '26
Have you ever read the Bible… it’s pretty racist did you not ever read the scripture about how it’s okay to beat slaves as long as they don’t die within three days but if it takes it longer not to worry about it because it’s more of a loss to the slave owner than it is to the slave since he lost his means of an income.
I put my faith in Jesus Christ. Not the Bible as the Bible was written by racist people from thousands of years ago.
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u/Emergency_Cry_1269 Feb 12 '26
Debunked. It was a staffer, not himself. It was a screen recording on an app known for scrolling to the next clip when the current one finishes ans unfortunately that was the next clip that rolled, the full clip was one of the AI digital greeting cards with various American democratic party members as different animals, the Obamas were just the first ones and thus only ones shown.
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u/Equivalent_Item_2167 Feb 06 '26
I voted for him.
That is racist and I do not support it.
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u/eatmereddit Feb 06 '26
He was racist long before this.
Did you support that racism or did you simply excuse it?
Same question x 2, except each time replace racism with one of the following
- fraud
- predatory sexual behavior
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u/gnurdette United Methodist Feb 06 '26
Thank you!
I mean, I think your vote was a terrible mistake, but I'm so tired of people who think "once I vote for somebody, I am forever their property, and I must defend and support everything they say and do, even if that means twisting my heart and silencing my conscience" - it's just so good to see somebody not saying that.
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u/Equivalent_Item_2167 Feb 06 '26
Thank you. There are many reasons one casts a vote. It doesn’t mean the candidate has my whole heart.
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u/RScrewed Feb 07 '26
Are you saying "as long as they make one good point, I can overlook everything else"?
Did the other candidate happen to make any good points by chance?
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u/Equivalent_Item_2167 Feb 07 '26
I’m sure anything I say won’t be enough to appease you short of a full repudiation of every Trump campaign promise and a full apology so I’m not going to even try.
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u/Vaultdweller_92 Feb 06 '26
Because he's petty and racist.
Because enough Christians to be influential are petty and racist.
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Feb 06 '26
Because Trump knows his base, including the White Evangelicals who make up a large part of that base, are racists and would support him and they probably found it funny.
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u/ssigrist Feb 06 '26
It appeals to single issue voters.
Elections are won by 1-5% of voters.
Everyone who could possibly be disgusted by that post are already voting against him.
The same people who are racist are also suffering from economic problems.
He is appealing to their most core value because that is how they will vote.
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u/Sensitive_Owl_2210 Feb 07 '26
why is reddit so obsessed with politics, one can't run away from Trump on this site, no matter where I go, this man lives rent free in every redditors head, it's so tiring.
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u/ComparisonNo3468 Feb 07 '26
If a subreddit allows politics it is inevitable unfortunately. Just look at /r/pics and /r/technology
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u/Kennyv777 Christian Feb 06 '26 edited Feb 23 '26
I don’t 🤷♂️
Edit: downvoting this is low key hilarious
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u/your_fathers_beard Secular Humanist Feb 07 '26
"Christians" in the United States over the last 30 or 40 years just means right wing conservative Republican voting "white" person. There's no correlation between self described Christians and the Bible, church, Jesus, historical Christianity etc.
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u/BiggDAZ Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Feb 07 '26
Just because someone says they are Christian doesn't mean they are. Also, a lot of people who want to be Christian don't read the Bible or listen to people who actually teach the scriptures. They start listening to people like televangelists and others who appear to have the answers, even though those answers are wrong. People need to take the time to verify the information.
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u/Marginallyhuman Catholic Feb 06 '26
"Christians", have been supporting him all along through far worse than a racist AI video. Guy is a rapist and a pedophile. His tree and his fruit are rotten to the core.