Of course Donald Trump went there
It’s a common mistake to think evangelical Christians are pro-Jewish. When you speak to some of them about Jews or Judaism there’s a cloyingly patronising clockwork mechanism in their wee little heads that makes them desperate to utter the words “God’s chosen people” when speaking about the Jews. As soon as they have said those magic words the clockwork mechanism in their wee little heads resets against the time they will need to say it once more.
But evangelicals aren’t pro-Jewish. What they are is rabidly Zionistic, and they make the odiously bigoted presumption that all Jews are Zionists too. All Jews are not Zionists any more than all Muslims are Jihadists. It’s an oversimplification, and oversimplifications are the stock and trade of the uncouth, stereotyping bigot.
Which brings me to Donald Trump. Trump is an unapologetic bigot and, like virtually every unapologetic bigot who ever walked the earth, he is absolutely certain he is not a bigot, and he’ll be the first to tell you that. (Incidentally, if you’re in the habit of alerting the world to the wonderful news that you’re not a bigot I implore you to stop right away. It’s one of the most stupid things anybody can claim, especially if they’re white. If you don’t understand why this is so then you’ve got a long, long way to go.)
Trump recently reminded us of what a virulent bigot he is when he claimed that Jewish Americans “either don’t like Israel or don’t care about Israel.” Trump also said that evangelical Christians “love Israel more than the Jews in this country.” Trump also suggested that The New York Times “hates Israel” even though “they’re Jewish people that run The New York Times.”
Again, Judaism isn’t Zionism. Insisting that all Jews be Zionists is an antisemitic stereotype. What Trump is doing by making these outrageous statements is he’s playing to his base, the white, evangelical Christians. Next thing you know he’ll be calling non-Zionistic Jews JINOs, for “Jewish In Name Only.”
Evangelical Christians overwhelmingly voted for Trump both in 2016 and 2020 because he claims to support Israel and they think that all Jews are either Zionists or they should be. The reason for this is because Israel is at the epicentre of End Times theology. According to End Times theology Israel will play a leading role in bringing about the end times, that is, the destruction of planet earth. Evangelical Christians don’t see Jews as human beings, they see them as tools for achieving their insane end-of-the-world fantasies. Once Jews have served their purpose they can go straight to hell — literally — like everybody else who isn’t an evangelical Christian.
I know this to be true because I used to be an evangelical Christian. I know how many of them think and what they think. To many of them our precious planet is their personal and exclusive disposable stepping stone to heaven, a way for them to achieve eternal life at the expense and misery and eternal torture of billions and billions of people who have committed the unforgivable sin of not thinking just like they do.
Trump exploits evangelical Christians for political power. Trump doesn’t care about them, about Israel, about Jews, about anyone else. He cares only about power, money and himself. And, as ever, ladies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters, comrades and friends, stay safe.
Robert Harrington is an American expat living in Britain. He is a portrait painter.