How should we respond to Donald Trump?

At 78 years old, Donald John Trump is the oldest man to be inaugurated to the office of President of the United States. He is also only the second man to achieve a second, non-consecutive term in office. Four years ago, he lost the 2020 election (despite what he might say!) and he seemed down and out. In January 2021, his supporters stormed the Capitol building in Washington DC and in shocking scenes overwhelmed security and vandalised the building.

Since those deplorable scenes, Trump has faced multiple investigations and court cases and has even survived an assassination attempt, the so-called 'Millimetre Miracle'. In light of all this, it is worth acknowledging that his political comeback, while down no doubt to a wide range of factors, is absolutely astonishing.

He has certainly started his work quickly. You get the sense that this is an older and ‘wiser’ Trump in that he knows what the job is like, and he better understands how to get things done. I personally remain convinced that his age means he will be slightly more restrained in some of his social media use and public pronouncements. But I also freely admit that this theory could be a load of rubbish!

Over the first few days of his presidency he has signed a blizzard of Executive Orders (EO’s). Some of these are to do with immigration. For example, he has declared an emergency at the Southern border with Mexico and instructed federal law enforcement agencies to treat drug cartels as terrorists. Some EO’s are to do with diversity, with a ban on future diversity, equality and inclusion programmes across federal government. He also declared in his speech, backed up by an EO that the policy of the US Government going forward is that there are only two genders, male and female. The list of EO’s goes on and on, with the US beginning the process of withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement and the World Health Organisation and seizing the Panama Canal.

I suspect one of the reasons Trump has started with so many orders is because he knows that he essentially has 18 months to make good on his election promises. Right now, the Republican Party has a wafer-thin majority in the Senate and a small majority in the House of Representatives. It holds the White House and there is a conservative majority on the Supreme Court. The midterms are in the autumn of 2026. You could reasonably predict that the Democrats might take back the House and the Senate (although nothing is certain, and the Democrats are in a real mess).

If that happens, Trump’s room for manoeuvre will be more limited. It might also make him more dangerous but again, I am speculating! Either way, it would make strategic sense to move fast on their agenda while they hold all the key branches of US government.

What I want to do in this article is answer two key questions. Firstly, how should we respond to Donald Trump 2.0? And secondly, why do so many evangelicals in America support him and what should we make of that?

I’m aware that I am treading over familiar ground because since Donald Trump first ran for office, plenty has been written by far more qualified people than me. But I hope what follows is useful, nonetheless.

Let me start by addressing the second question I raised. Why do so many evangelicals in America support Trump? It needs to be said that by no means all evangelicals voted for him. Prominent figures like John Piper of Desiring God said in 2020 he could not vote for Trump or Biden and there is no reasons to assume that Piper's stance has changed in 2024. Russell Moore, who now works for Christianity Today has also been a vocal critic of the Trump administration and this is to name but two examples.

Yet it is undeniable that evangelicals in America helped Trump win the 2024 election. Data from the 2024 US election suggests Christians voted for Trump by two to one. Another data source suggested 8 in 10 white evangelicals voted for Trump.

The reasons for doing so are no doubt complex and we must remember that my powers to read motives are highly limited because I am not American and I am not omniscient! I want to suggest three lines of thinking that may have been motivating factors and ones that I find especially troubling.

Before I outline the three reasons for supporting Trump that I personally cannot agree with, it is worth saying that I do get it. When the new President uses his inaugural address to say it will henceforth be the policy of the US Government that there are two biological sexes, male and female, I suspect many Christians already feel vindicated. But as I hope to show, for me personally, this does not justify such unqualified support.

So what are the reasons I think motivated evangelicals to support Trump that I find especially concerning?

Firstly, I think some voted for Trump because for them, the policy ends, which they judge good, justify the means, which is a man like Trump as President. This group acknowledges the character flaws in Trump but point out that God uses flawed characters to accomplish good ends in the Bible, which is true (think of Cyrus who let God’s people return from exile - see Isaiah 45).

My main response to this is to point out that I am not sure ‘the ends justifies the means’ is ever a truly Christian position. In the Bible, we see examples where God calls his people to be faithful, not successful. Think of Jeremiah who was told by God that he would preach and no one would listen to him (Jeremiah 7:27). Ends justifying the means smacks of a philosophy called utilitarianism which thinks so long as you cause maximum happiness, you can justify what you are doing. Bluntly, there is never ever any justification for sin and breaking God’s law. So, this reason for voting for Trump is concerning.

After all, what value does the Bible place on a leader’s character? I think a leader’s character is of supreme importance and we see this in numerous ways in the Bible. For example, in the qualifications for an Elder in 1 Timothy 3:1-7, only one part of it is to do with giftedness (‘apt to teach’). The rest is all to do with character. If you look at the instructions for the King in Deuteronomy 17:14-20, it is primarily to do with his character. For example, he must not be greedy and he must love God's word, keep it close and remember he is subject to it like everyone else.

Ultimately, I find the ends justifies the means approach minimises the importance of character too much. I cannot overlook the fact that Trump is an unrepentant, convicted criminal. Yes, he has been the victim of political attacks. Yes, I do not think he is guilty of every charge levied at him. But even his failure to properly take responsibility for the role he did play in encouraging the 2021 riot speaks to serious character flaws that I cannot overlook.

Secondly, I wonder if some Christians voted for Trump because they think God has spared his life and raised him up for ‘such as time as this’ to quote from the story of brave Queen Esther (Esther 4:14).

While I agree that God providentially spared Trump’s life from assassination, the way in which some then link this to definitive statements that it must be because God wants Trump to do great things and make America great nation again is unsettling. Even Trump himself drew this explicit link in his inaugural address. He claimed God had spared his life to 'make America great again'. To my mind, this is the height of presumptive arrogance.

How can anyone know this for certain? There are times when I think we can interpret God’s providence as it unfolds. But we need humility in every case because we are not God and therefore, we must be highly cautious about being too definitive. There is always more going on behind the veil in the unseen world where God dwells. As the LORD says to Job in Job 38:2, who obscures God's plans with words without knowledge?

We would do well to learn from the example of the theologian Charles Hodge. Writing in the immediate aftermath of President Lincoln’s assassination, he said: “But why Mr. Lincoln should have been murdered just when he was most needed, most loved, and most trusted, is more than any man can tell. God however is wont to move in a mysterious way.”

Thirdly, I think some evangelicals voted for Trump because they see him being committed to ensuring that America returns to being a more Christian nation. In some ways, this reason is linked to the previous two. But I have chosen to separate it our because it has elements within it I think are the most disturbing of all.

Some within this group of voters speak as if America is God’s special, chosen nation on earth. A second Trump presidency - and especially his pushback against 'wokeism' (whatever that term actually means) - is all part of reclaiming America for Christ.

How should we respond to this? Firstly, we must be clear that there is no such thing as a Christian nation. The UK is not a Christian nation. America is not a Christian nation. This does not mean that some countries, like the ones just mentioned, have not been hugely influenced by Christianity. I agree with the great Welsh preacher, Dr Martyn Lloyd Jones who said that biblically there is no such thing as a Christian nation.

The reason he said this is in recognition of the flow of biblical history. We are in the gospel age and the last days where the new covenant is in operation. As Paul teaches in 2 Corinthians 3:7-11 and as the writer to the Hebrews is at pains to point out in Hebrews 8:13, this covenant is superior to the old one God made with the nation of Israel. In this new covenant, your ethnic identity is secondary at best to your new identity in Jesus. Colossians 3:11 says this: “Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.” In other words, God is not building a Christian nation based in one geographical part of the earth. He is building a ‘holy nation’ of people from every tribe and tongue and language to worship him.

This particular way of thinking – the notion that America is a Christian country – is not new. When the founding fathers landed in America and set up colonies, the language of ‘new Jerusalem’ was common. Some of them believed they were setting up a new Israel of God. In recent times, the emergence of Christian Nationalism (CN) in America has given the idea fresh impetus.

Christian nationalism is a spectrum of views. Here is not the place for a deep dive on what it means. However I will say that one of the aims of the CN movement is to try and make sure that positions of political power are held by Christians. One proponent of it even admitted the long-term aim is to stop any Jew, Muslim, atheist or anyone other than a Christian from holding political office. I find this trajectory highly disturbing and I am thankful CN has not taken of here in the UK.

I have tried to answer the second question (why have so many evangelicals voted for Trump?) and I want to finish by answering the first question, which is how should we respond? To do so I want to acknowledge that I have said a lot in responding to evangelical voters who backed Trump. Please be assured that I do not judge them for their choice. I do, though, disagree and have tried to explain why. In America, there seem to be two main groups in the church when it comes to Trump: the 'never Trumpers' and the 'avid Trumpers'. I have spent most of my time responding to the latter group.

To the former group, I want to remind you that God is still on the throne. This is his world and he has anointed his King over the nations. Psalm 2 is all about the rage and hostility of earthly rulers against God and against his anointed King Jesus. But despite the plans and schemes of wicked men, the Lord accomplishes his purposes throughout history. Trump is under the ultimate authority of God whether he recognises this or not.

It is also worth pointing out that Trump does not have absolute power. There are human restraints in terms of the system of government set up in America. Moreover, it is possible that he will be able to accomplish good policies that protect lives. Any government can do good and can do evil and every government is a mixture of both. That is why government in the bible is so ambiguous. On the one hand it is legitimate, on the other hand it is limited.

The Apostle Paul tells us not to be anxious for anything (Philippians 4:6). That includes a Trump presidency. We should pray instead. Replace worry, then, with worship and it will do your heart good! I am praying that Trump will be saved. I am also praying that despite some of his words, he will pursue Biblical justice and protect the vulnerable. I am thankful to God that evil men can be used to accomplish good ends. I am also thankful that it is God who raises up rulers and who brings them down (Daniel 2:21).

Whatever else we might say, the next four years will not be boring. I think we will see Trump doing both good and evil. His second term will be a reminder that politics is important, yes, and Christians should and must engage as salt and light to help restrain evil and promote righteousness. But politics is not ultimate. Christ has come once and won. He will come again. And this world will be renewed. That remains our brightest and best hope.