Has the place occupied by religion in American politics increased in recent years? This is what one might believe when listening to the victory speech of Donald Trump, who assured that God had saved him from the shots fired at him “so that he could save America”.
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According to Alain Pronkin, a religion specialist, the Republican elected official succeeded in seducing voters from the “Bible belt”, these southern states renowned for their piety, by presenting himself as “a messiah”.
“We use the Old Testament a lot in the United States, and in the Old Testament you have the coming of the Messiah. [Donald Trump] is he the Messiah who will defend us and who will restore everything? And that’s the big question,” he illustrated in an interview with LCN.
This approach also allowed Donald Trump to receive the support of influential televangelists who relay his speeches. This is the case, for example, of Pastor Paula White, who accompanied the ex-president during his first term. The prayer she said before Donald Trump’s election defeat went viral.
Conversion tardive
If the late conversion of Donald Trump, who never displayed his religious convictions before entering politics, may leave some observers skeptical, it is welcomed with great enthusiasm by the most religious.
“In religious movements, you don’t have the kind of skepticism,” Mr. Pronkin said.
However, even if he presents himself as the candidate of the evangelists, Donald Trump does not seem to have convinced Pope Francis, who has not offered his support to any of the contenders for the White House.
“Let’s not forget, when the Pope was asked recently: ‘Do we vote for Trump or for Mrs. Harris?’, he replied that, in both cases, there is something that It’s not good. There is one who is against immigration and the other who is for abortion,” said the expert.
Watch the full interview in the video above.
