FILE – Hats bearing various slogans such as “Jesus is my savior, Trump is my president” are sold at a campaign rally for former President Donald Trump on March 16, 2024, in Vandalia, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski, File)

After former President Donald Trump gave his victory speech at the Palm Beach Convention Center early Wednesday, dozens of his supporters gathered in a lobby and sang “How Great You Are” He recites the words and harmonies of a classic hymn popular among evangelical Christians. It was a fitting coda to an election in which Trump once again won the support of nearly 8 in 10 white evangelical Christian voters, according to AP VoteCast, a comprehensive poll of more than 120,000 voters. This level of support among a group representing about 20% of the total electorate echoes the similarly surprising evangelical support Trump received in 2020. Pastor Robert Jeffress of First Baptist Church of Dallas has been one of Trump’s most prominent evangelical supporters since the 2016 campaign. made a call to the election “great victory.”
“Yes, there were some faith issues that were important to Evangelicals, but Evangelicals are Americans, too.” Jeffress said. “They are interested in immigration, they are interested in the economy.”
Some of Trump’s critics fear that he will implement a Christian nationalist agenda that gives Christians a privileged position in the country and disregards the separation of church and state. Its author, Andrew Whitehead, said that although some of the administration’s religious statements have been in the form of rhetoric rather than policy, it could have an impact in a country that is more secular and religiously diverse than in past generations. “Taking America Back for God: Christian Nationalism in the United States.”
“Those who do not embrace this expression of Christianity or the Christian religion, or those who embrace no religion at all, will feel branded as ‘other’ and will not be truly Americans.” Whitehead, an associate professor of sociology at Indiana University Indianapolis, predicted that a Christian nationalist view would likely motivate the early Trump administration’s restrictive immigration policies on the grounds of protecting traditional American culture, such as the travel ban from many Muslim-majority countries. Jeffress dismissed the concerns of those who envisioned a Christian nationalist rule.
“Non-Christians worry unnecessarily that he will establish some kind of oppressive theocracy. “He has no interest in doing this.” Jeffress noted that Trump has shown no interest in banning same-sex marriage or an outright ban on abortion. Trump’s strongest supporters among evangelical leaders can likely expect the same kind of White House access they had during Trump’s first term. Trump proclaimed a sense of divine authority.
“Many people have told me that God spared my life for a reason.” Trump said in his victory speech, citing widespread statements among his evangelical supporters that he received miraculous divine protection during the near-fatal assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13. “And that reason was to save our country and restore America to greatness.”
Trump promised on the campaign trail “Protect Christians in our schools, our military, and our government.” and in “our public square.” Many church-state battles in recent years have focused on Christian symbols in public settings, such as crucifix displays. The Republican platform promised to defend Christians as well as Jews facing persecution. Although it included a general commitment to protect the practices of all faith groups, only two stood out by name. The platform also defended the following rights: “Pray and read the Bible at school.”
Trump promises to support other evangelical priorities, such as support for Israel and rolling back transgender rights, saying: “God created two genders: male and female.” Although evangelicals were dismayed that Trump steered clear of the most strident anti-abortion proposals, evangelical leaders viewed Trump as preferable to Harris’ strong advocacy for abortion rights. Pro-Trump rallies have featured phrases like the song adopted by Christian nationalists. “God Bless the USA” Many attendees of Trump rallies wear shirts proclaiming: “Jesus is my savior, Trump is my president.”
Evangelicals’ support for Trump initially surprised many, given his casino ventures, multiple marriages, accusations of sexual harassment and, most recently, his central role in inciting the 2021 Capitol riot and his conviction on fraud charges. However, many fans dispute these accusations or see him as a flawed but powerful champion.
“People support President Trump because of his policies, not his religiosity.” Jeffress said. John Fea, a history professor at Messiah University in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, who wrote a book on evangelical support for Trump in the 2016 campaign, said the continued support is not surprising. Fea said he has spoken to evangelicals who are upset with Trump in this campaign. Them “I’m looking for any reason to vote for Harris.” Sounds like a bit of moderation on abortion. “I don’t think Harris gave them much.”
It wasn’t just white, non-Hispanic evangelicals who supported Trump. So did just over half of Latino evangelicals and 6 in 10 white Catholics, according to AP VoteCast. Overall, about 6 in 10 Mormons also supported the former president. Pastor Abraham Rivera of La Puerta Life Center in North Miami, Florida, attributed Trump’s popularity among all Latinos and especially evangelicals to their conservative values ​​of morality and family.
“I think a lot of Latino Evangelicals are put off by the issue of gender identity, which the left puts so much emphasis on.” said Rivera. Members of his congregation expressed some concerns about Trump’s stance “personality or things he says” But that’s not their policy, Rivera said. He expects Latino evangelical leaders’ frequent contacts with Trump’s first administration to continue and to be given a voice. On the contrary, he felt the doors “it was closed it was closed” Biden appeared to ignore the values ​​of many conservatives in the White House. But Rivera added: “The idea that an evil Christian right is going to take over everything is pure madness.”
Fea said that while the Christian nationalist agenda may be more rhetorical than substantive at the national level, there are real examples of it at the local level. He predicted the Trump administration would not push back against things like a new Louisiana law requiring the Ten Commandments to be posted in public schools and an Oklahoma education official’s order to include the Bible in public school classes. Both face court challenges. Pledges to use 2024 Republican platform “Current federal law to keep foreign Communists, Marxists, and Socialists who hate Christians.” together “jihadists” Outside of America. During the campaign, Trump said he would create a federal task force to combat terrorism. “Persecution of Christians in America.”
Other groups nationally and in local churches are preparing to push back on the Christian nationalist agenda. Americans United for the Separation of Church and State have vowed to resist the Trump administration’s policies that privilege Christians and use religious freedom claims as a tool. “license to discriminate” said Andrew Seidel, the group’s vice president of strategic communications. He speculates that the incoming Trump administration has a plan to implement the Heritage Foundation’s 2025 Project, which he says has a Christian nationalist plan, although Trump has distanced himself from it.
“They are ready to win this time” said Seidel. “They were the dog that caught the car last time. They didn’t know what they were doing. “They will be ready to go on the first day.”
The Rev. Tim Schaefer, pastor of First Baptist Church in Madison, Wisconsin, said he opposes Christian nationalism in part because it challenges the separation of church and state, a key belief in the Baptist tradition.
“So our job is to remind people that we were not founded as a Christian nation.” he said. “There was a desire on the part of the Founders to be a religiously pluralistic nation.”