In God We Trump
It’s unfortunate that director Christopher Alan Maloney was unable to get Evangelical Christian Trump supporters for his documentary, “In God We Trump,” but that doesn’t make it any less heartbreaking to think that people of faith have supported a person for the leader of the United States who is so profoundly antithetical to the teachings of Jesus. Even as someone who doesn’t consider themselves religious, it’s painful that many people of faith are disillusioned with the way their faith has been co-opted and conned into supporting an individual who worships himself, and the almighty dollar, more than the teachings of Jesus. As Maloney demonstrates, however, it may not be as surprising as you’d think that the Evangelical vote went to Donald Trump in such a plurality.
If you follow me on social media, you undoubtedly know that I am not a supporter of our current President. You might not know that it’s been honestly difficult to reconcile my feelings about people in my life who did vote for him and support him, regardless of how close I am to them in real life. Immediately, this puts “In God We Trump” into the “preaching to the choir” playing field of documentaries about faith, politics and social issues I might put Michael Moore’s films into, but that being said, I do feel like Maloney does a successful job at remaining objective with his subject, and presenting the ideas in his film in an intelligent, and level-headed manner that the finest documentaries accomplish. This isn’t about slamming Christians who voted for Trump, but trying to understand where they were coming from when they voted for him, and the religious conditions that made voting for someone who relishes in personal wealth, demeans women and minorities, and has not done anything to ward off the support of extremists and white nationalists. This is as objective a film as you’ll probably see on the subject, and it is well-assembled to study it.
It’s no secret to anyone who has paid attention to politics, and the combination of religion and politics over the years, that the past 40 years has seen a steady stream of evangelical voting for conservative candidates. That simple degree of consistency in voting patterns doesn’t explain, however, how conservative Christians eschewed the likes of Mike Huckabee, Ted Cruz and Rick Santorum for the billionaire, thrice-married Trump, who takes to Twitter with the temperament of a toddler on Ritalin. That is the fundamental riddle that Maloney is trying to get to the heart of, and it’s something he comes to honestly. He has authors, writers, and other people of faith- including a friend of mine, Stuart Delony, whom I’ve just done podcasts with on religious films- bringing their points of view to the discussion, and all signs point to what has been a gradual devaluation of the teachings of Jesus as a healer, someone who valued and wanted to lift up the poor and downtrodden, values which seem antithetical to conservative party policies. Republicans like to talk a big game about matters of faith, and helping those who need help, on the campaign trail, but that doesn’t really seem to translate into action. And when Donald Trump is leading the Republican party? Well, Trump’s selection of televangelist Paula White to speak at his inaugurations says a lot about his views on faith, even if it doesn’t answer all of the questions.
It’s a good bet that Trump supporters will not see this movie, just as they did not participate in Maloney’s film. That is a shame, although not surprising, because Maloney approaches his subject with an even-handedness that reminded me of the 2006 Oscar-nominated documentary, “Jesus Camp.” Like that film’s directors, Maloney isn’t out to mock or judge Trump’s Christian voters, but to illuminate reasons for their decision. Like the subjects of “Jesus Camp,” the Christianity they follow is a perversion of the teachings of Jesus, and we hope that, at some point in their lives, they will have an awakening to the harm they have caused to millions of their fellow man similar to the awakening that led them to seek Jesus, in the first place. “In God We Trump” may look at some of the worst of what religious belief can bring to America; hopefully, through the darkness, a light will come through that causes a new wave of faith that looks back at this time, and realizes, “We can do better. In the name of Jesus, and what he taught, we have to do better.”
