People ask why I write many of my blog posts about Donald Trump. I say to them what I’m saying in this post that if nobody writes the truth how will they know?
During Trump’s presidency #45 he went into office blindly relying on and trusting his advisors and handlers, several of whom either gave him bad advice or turned him by leaking sensitive information to the press. When the chips were down a number abandoned ship or were replaced. In spite of all the negative press, a hostile both republican and democrat led congress Trump managed many great accomplishments in his quest to Make America Great Again.
During the Biden presidency Trump wasn’t sulking in the shadows. In fact Trump still had that dual mandate from God to stand against the Spirit of Political Correctness and to stop Evil. Behind the scenes Trump’s advisors were gathering individuals with one or more of Trump’s two primary pre-qualifications for his next administration – Talent and Experience. Keep in mind Trump was still taking hits from Biden’s weaponized D.O.J. as well as coordinated legal actions from democratic state and city attorney generals who were trying to bankrupt, put him behind bars (he got his infamous mug shot) as they prepared to prevent him from ever holding public office again.
As the Biden presidency #46 was on its last legs the Democratic Party was coming unglued and became desperate to stop Trump’s run for the presidency J13 in Butler, Pennsylvania became ground zero as a would be assassin shot Trump and killed innocent bystander Cory Comperatore and seriously injured rally goers David Dutch and James Copenhaver before the shooter, 20 year old Thomas Crooks was neutralized by a secret service sniper. This was a turning point in Trump’s life personally and politically as he felt the hand of God protecting him for a greater purpose. In Palm Beach, Florida on S15 a second would be assassin was arrested near his golf course.
As American voters became galvanized so did the polarization along political lines. President Biden dropped his bid for re-election and endorsed Kamala Harris who literally ran her campaign into the ground. Trump won the election of 2024 by a landslide promising to seal the border, fix the economy, and put Americans back to work, rebuild our military (peace through strength) and correct America’s trade balance with tariffs for every nation on earth that trades with the U.S.
Beginning on J20 President Trump #47 hit the ground running announcing the Golden Age of America has begun. His major concerns were to stop the war between Russia and Ukraine and return the hostages in Gaza; close the border to illegal migration; resumed construction on completing the border wall; and began deporting criminal illegal migrants; and to issue pardons for many of those arrested, charged and convicted of J6 offenses.
Trump formed the D.O.G.E. taskforce, headed by Elon Musk to conduct a financial audit of every government agency to root out fraud, waste and abuse; he then began paring down the federal government workforce and took steps to eliminate unnecessary/duplication of government agency responsibilities; keep men out of women’s sports and stop D.E.I. in America; and most important are holding former government officials accountable for their actions while in office by meaningful and legal investigations by congress and by the F.B.I.
Every step of the way Trump is being met with judicial interference, yet he remains focused and is continuing forward at a rapid pace. A major piece of legislation for Trump was signing his Big Beautiful Bill on J4 in a ceremony at the White House and we are just approaching Trump’s first six months in office. – RTM
In the history of our Nation there have been 47 presidents who were either great military leaders, veterans of foreign wars, medical, and legal professionals, “career” politicians or business leaders but there has never been a real visionary with the intestinal fortitude and stamina like President Donald Trump.
Six months after assuming the office a second time Trump was asked what made him more successful this time? His answer was short and to the point, “Talent and Experience”.
He said, “The first time I had the talent but not the experience”. Trump said the first time he relied on advice from others and chose some very bad people.
This second time around the Trump cabinet has very smart talented people in very critical positions and they work well together not just for Trump but for the American people.
Trump accomplished more during his first term than many presidents before him. In the first six months of his second term he has accomplished more for our country than all the presidents before him combined. Not only has he placed America first, but followed closely by working hard to save human lives by striving to stop senseless wars overseas while fighting lawlessness, two blotched assassination attempts and continual political infighting here on the home front.
When the Israeli Prime Minister recommended President Trump for the Nobel Prize he remarked that Trump should get the Peace Prize for EVERY action taken to bring peace during both of his terms in office. He was right.
Everything about Trump’s second term from border security to foreign affairs, the economy, immigration and the industrialization of putting our nation back to work is nothing short of remarkable.
History may soon look back on President Donald J. Trump as the man who saved America. – RTM
Democrats who fail to learn from their errors will repeat them, is the lesson applicable for today. More importantly voters who continue to vote for candidates based on political party, instead of merit will continue to get what they voted for. What we see in proclaimed sanctuary cities and states are the lawless values of politicians put upon the people as a means of control. Claims of racism used by politicians are putting people back on the plantation and is in fact what democratic democracy is all about – full and total and willing control.
How does what we see today compare with the nation prior to the Civil War? Did that war start at its core because southern states refused to free the slaves and the northern states under President Lincoln moved to force compliance or was it their refusal to enforce federal law? After all, immediately after the war the democratic Klu Klux Klan (KKK) began marching throughout the southern states murdering and lynching minorities and sympathizers leading to the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s.
We are led to believe that democrats of yesteryear are somewhat different today? The party of the working man has become the resistance party espousing the values (or lack thereof) and using the tactics long since associated with the KKK riders. Voters are pressured, badgered and bullied into believing voting democrat is a must for American minorities.
I think of sanctuary governors and mayors who defiantly state their order not to assist I.C.E. agents enforcing federal law, yet these same politicians attempt to determine and limit the scope and attire of federal agents in the performance of their duties. One state seeks to prevent ICE from wearing masks, while others seek to prevent areas within their municipalities from being accessed by I.C.E. These democratic politicians fail to realize that their rants and raves do not prevent I.C.E. from enforcing federal law and wearing their clearly marked attire ANYWHERE in the United States.
A recent I.C.E. raid of a California state sanctioned pot field netted the arrest of 319 illegal migrant workers and the recovery of 14 unaccompanied underage juvenile migrant children working there illegally. I wonder why the D.O.J. does not federally deputize local and state law enforcement (much like the President activating state National Guard) so they can assist rather than stand by when lawlessness abounds?
Is it not the primary responsibility of city, state and federal politicians to protect Americans from bad guys, gangs, and terrorists? Don’t forget that federal law TRUMPS local city and state law. Politicians who empower, encourage or promote lawlessness or order to selectively enforce federal laws of the United States have become law breakers who can and should be prosecuted and removed from public office.
Who then is protecting American’s from these bad politicians? – RTM
It is no secret that American politicians are so divided over enforcing federal laws. Mayors, governors and state and federal elected officials feel empowered to resist the federal government when it comes to abortion, education, public safety and international affairs. From whom do they get their “authority”?
A number of state officials have come to office after serving in the U.S. Congress where their “worldview” has been shaped, in part, by various congressional caucuses, which I last counted was more than 200, including caucuses which accept or reject congressional members solely by race. Isn’t that illegal?
Caucuses are created to influence the political agenda of its members.
The Congressional Black Caucus of which Barack Obama, Karen Bass and other notable politicians are alumni, has billed themselves as the “Race Police” to seek out racism in government, and now are focused on resisting the executive actions of the Executive Branch, i.e. President Trump. Not only that, but they have committed their statuary authority, congressional power and ALL THE MONEY OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT toward their ends. Not to mention that they are federally funded.
There are so many others, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus; the Congressional Asian-American Caucus; caucuses for other nations, other topics and each going in separate directions. Members who join must abide by the decision of their caucus.
Do you remember the “African shawl” debacle lead by then Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other congressional democrats unknowingly wore the colors of the African slave hunters who sold entire villages to the captains of slave ships back in the day? The African woman who spoke out about this was conveniently silenced.
Today’s 119th Congress is committed to resisting Trump at every juncture. They defend unlawful, illegal immigration and promote their unauthorized usage of federal programs by migrants who have no legal right to them. The resist Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s actions to remove illegal migrants from our nation, to the point of breaking into federal prison facilities, traveling to foreign lands to demand the leaders of other nations return THEIR CITIZENS back to the U.S.A. where they don’t belong in the first place.
On the subject of abortion, congressional democrats have no problem killing off America’s future citizens while feigning outrage over the children of foreign citizens being sent back to their home countries in order to keep families together.
It was President Richard Nixon who first challenged the first rendition of the CBC by defunding them. They simply renamed themselves the CBC and have grown steadily over the years. We all know what happened to Nixon, right?
I have a solution: defund ALL congressional caucuses to prevent federal funds from funding our nation’s demise, especially those promoting anti-American, anti-government or foreign terrorist groups and individuals. – RTM
Coming down from a truly patriotic high after enjoying the fireworks display at the nation’s Capital, various states and right here in my own Colorado Springs, Colorado neighborhood where it just feels good to be an American.
Over the past 249 years the people of the expanded 13 American colonies have made a great many sacrifices that have affected people around the globe and here at home. During World Wars I & II military age men jumped at the chance to serve in the heat of battle overseas for the sake of Freedom. Others made their contributions here at home doing whatever they could.
After the wars ended men and women came home to a life of peace, soon interrupted by war in Korea, then Vietnam, the Cold War and the War on Terrorism, the Gulf War, Afghanistan and so many others referred to as “police actions”. No matter the call Americans volunteered in record numbers not fighting for a president, a political party or the cause of democracy, but to set free the oppressed in order that they too might taste the freedom we enjoy today.
Little to nothing has been said of the sacrifices made by our brothers and sisters in arms who stand the guard watch every hour of every day, 24/7/365 to ensure that our nation and its people are safe and protected. The torch of daily administration of safety and justice is carried by our first responders of city, state and federal agents. To them we are grateful.
All too long we’ve been told by the pillars of our government’s legislative and executive branches that America is bad, Americans are ugly, conceited and so full of themselves that all they care about is money. Yet when given a closer look we see it is those pillars that are themselves corrupted by the power they have taken from the people they are supposed to serve. Over time the will of the people is what is imposed upon them by their elected officials.
Ten years ago an outsider decided to change the status quo at the highest levels of government. He promised to make this nation great once again, an impossible task? Yes, but his determination to make substantial changes in how the government works and his vision for what America could become have fueled what I thought was a lost cause.
As soon as he hit the political stage he caused such uproar that those in power began a campaign to discredit him, personally, professionally and politically. His persistence made such an impact on the Republican Party that it caused a remake from the inside out. Their only chance of survival was to change with him or face political demise. Thus the MEGA Republican base was formed.
It has taken those same ten years for the Democratic Party to go from the party of the working man, to the progressively liberal party feeding off of Hollywood’s fame and fortune, until now they have become the party of misfortune, serving nobody but themselves as we have seen in the backbiting and backstabbing of the party headquarters against even the sitting president of their own party in 2024. It is my prediction that unless there is a major change in their “the sky is falling” strategy this party is facing its political demise.
July 4th, 2025 marks a milestone in American history leading to a very successful period ahead where, the sky is the limit to what Americans can do, individually and collectively with the help and guidance of Almighty God, for the nation and the world at large. It is such a great time to be alive to witness the road ahead. – RTM
It’s been said that we are creatures of habit. We like what we like, we say what we want, and we do the same thing over and over again. I remember past rioting, looting and throwing bricks, rocks, or other material conveniently placed in designated, strategic locations in the chosen cities. Isn’t it strange that huge trucks and material handling equipment can conveniently drop off this material without rousing suspicion? Are there not city, county or state police and federal agents routinely checking their assigned routes or areas of responsibility that would notice little things like this? I know there is construction going on just about everywhere, but in the downtown areas would it not seem strange to see a pallet(s) of strange, out-of-place materials in or near stores, intersections or parks?
Today being July 4th, 2025 it might behoove local, state and federal law enforcement to look at their cities and states, major highways and freeways as well as susceptible businesses BEFORE rioting and looting begins? – RTM
Several days ago I did a search of the countries of North America and believe it or not, there are 23 countries, islands and territories listed. Who am I to question that? No wonder everyone is trying to get into the United States of America, I guess the other 22 countries just won’t do.
What ever happened to North, Central and South Americas that stretch all the way from the north to the south poles? Maybe there’s more to this AI thing that meets the eye?
For those wanting free and open borders, try going into Mexico from the USA without documentation and see how far you get? Then try coming back into the USA without documentation? Try that for any country in the world without documentation.
I’ve been in foreign countries where anyone caught without a proper entrance visa, working without the proper visa or overstaying a now expired visa gets you fined, locked up and/or departed – without question.
Do you know that during the early days of COVID President Donald Trump halted immigration from the Sengen (sp) area of Europe as well as from China and they called him a racist? I didn’t know there was a country called Sengen. In fact Sengen is an area in Europe where one needs proper documentation just to be able to enter the Sengen area, which is a gateway to travel anywhere in Western Europe. But now to prevent an open borders invasion, Trump is the bad guy?
We have laws pertaining to immigration and we have a congress that creates, changes or repeals laws and we have a president who signs bills into law, so why is it so hard for congress to fix errors and loopholes in existing laws instead of standing on the verge of sedition when it comes to resisting the duly elected president and his agenda to make America better than ever before?
Under the Constitution we as citizens have the right to free speech. We also have the right to remain silent. Immigrants come to America to escape persecution, gangs or for a better life by applying for and receiving entry permission. Immigrants (legal or otherwise) who come to this country to agitate or stir up dissention against our nation, our government or our way of life do not have the same rights as citizens under the Constitution. What immigrants do have is the right to self-deport or face immediate deportation after standing before a deportation judge.
America is not perfect, but it is the only Constitutional-Republic in the world. Living here, abiding by our nation’s laws and working hard to make America better is not a red or a blue thing, but a red, white and blue thing, IT IS THE AMERICAN DREAM!
I’m not much on online poles or studies like one published recently that claimed more than 90% of republicans and only 40% of democrats are proud of America but as harsh as it may sound – America love it or leave it!
Whether traveling on foreign soil or in front of a solitary flag pole at home what comes to my mind when I see Old Glory is “Freedom”, too often taken for granted until it is literally taken away? Our men and women in uniform sign on the dotted line, pledging their lives for the defense of freedom. Thank You to all who serve and have served. We owe you a deep debt of gratitude!
Freedom comes from the God who created everything as stated in our nation’s founding documents “all men are created equal by our creator”.
We have the freedom to live a life that pleases God.
We have the freedom to love our neighbor as we love ourselves.
We have the freedom to dream big.
We have the freedom to live the American dream.
In times of international competition or military conquest we rally around the flag. Our national identity is the Stars and Stripes where our patriotism is on full display.
Patriotism unites “One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all”.
It is our duty, our responsibility to carry it forward so that everyone enjoys “Freedom”.
I challenge you to visit someone in prison, watch and listen as those doors clang shut, locking you in, effectively curtailing your “Freedom”. You will never forget the sound, the atmosphere, the isolation felt by losing the freedom to move about as you please until those doors open for you.
Happy 249th Birthday America, July 4th, 1776 – July 4th, 2025 – RTM
My Take on Proposed California Law Banning Law Enforcement Wearing Masks
Democrats have really lost their minds. In New York City, law enforcement officers (Police) who work with I.C.E. will be charged and in California law enforcement officers who cover their faces in the performance of their duties will face misdemeanor charges as shown in this article:
There has been growing criticism of ICE in recent months for allowing its agents to carry out targeted enforcement operations in plain clothes and face coverings. ICE officials argue that the masks are crucial to protect the identities of agents and their families from death threats. The agency is facing increased scrutiny as President Donald Trump directs his administration to remove millions of migrants without legal status.
Democratic state Senators Scott Wiener of San Francisco and Jesse Arreguin of Oakland announced Monday that they will introduce SB 627, a bill that would prohibit local, state, and federal law enforcement officers from concealing their faces during interactions with the public.
Law enforcement officers who conceal their faces while performing official duties could be charged with a misdemeanor under the new proposal.
State Senator Scott Wiener said in a press release: “Law enforcement officers do critically important work to keep our communities safe, and they should be proud to show their faces and provide identifying information when doing so. It boosts trust in law enforcement, which makes it easier for law enforcement to do their jobs and makes California safer for all of us.”
State Senator Jesse Arreguín said in a statement. “This bill will ensure that law enforcement are easily identifiable, maintaining that trust and accountability.”
Law Enforcement and/or ICE agents cannot wear masks while performing their duties, but criminal looters and protestors face no such restrictions is the same logic shown in restricting gun ownership “when criminals see nobody else has guns they will put their guns down too”……….
Democrat politicians at every level (City, State and Federal) clearly show why they don’t have the capacity or deserve to hold elected office at all. The problem is that voters clearly show they don’t have a clue that their vote enables feckless politicians to run their city, state and precincts literally into the ground.
Every citizen deserves to be served and protected by law enforcement.
Every criminal element deserves to be arrested, tried, convicted and then locked up or executed for their crime.
Every illegal alien deserves to self-deport with an opportunity to re-enter legally or face apprehension and deportation and banned from entering the USA ever again.
If city managers, state and federal legislators would work as hard for their constituents as they do to work against enforcing state and federal laws, America would be a much better place to live and raise a family in safety.
What gets me is the fact that city and state government politicians think they alone have the ability to go against federal statutes and laws, while owing no responsibility to the voters on the street who elected them.
If it is a federal law that anyone who aides and abets unlawful migration of aliens or hinders their arrest and removal then why are we not seeing ALL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENTS putting handcuffs on politicians and federal facilities placing them in custody? – RTM
This morning I happened across an email conversation I had with my brother who as a Christian could not reconcile himself to even consider voting for Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton in the 2016 Presidential Election. During that conversation I remembered something Dr. Franklin Graham wrote in his message “Powerful Question to Christians on America’s Growing Spiritual Battle”.
As of this writing we are 3 election cycles past those initial questions and I suspect there are still many who are not convinced even though we’ve been given a taste of what a democratic presidency is like after the failed presidency of Joe Biden (2021 – 2025), which was virtually a Hillary Clinton presidency-on-steroids and a Kamala Harris presidency would have taken the nation further down that rabbit hole.
The first Donald Trump presidency was one of obedience by a most worldly self-made man’s man to the call of Almighty God. It was a baptism under fire not only for a new president but for the nation.
I challenge each of us as we look at the rationalization of each question and answer and then remember the challenges and responses over the past 9 years. Quite often it becomes necessary to take a walk down the road of history to gain a fresh perspective to answer the question, “Where do we go from here”.
On October 25, 2016 at 11:53:59 AM MDT, My brother wrote:
Vote however you want, that is your right for now. But don’t force either candidate on me.
I talked to Trumpsters during the primary, militant in their demeanor, trying to sell Trump as the only choice to beat Hillary back then.(most of those supporter were democrats & libertarians and not even republicans) But the polls showed otherwise, in fact the polls showed back then that Trumps would lose to Hillary, and that at least three other candidates polled as beating her, they cared not because Trump lied and trashed those candidates and his Trumpsters trashed their followers. Then as soon as he won, he demands that everyone cow-tow in line behind him. Trump acts like Hitler did in his rise to power and Hillary is Stalin the second. The catch is that we know how evil Hillary is, and we hope that Trump is not the same.
To begin with although I didn’t like Trump’s bullish attitude, I considered any candidate the Republicans offered better than Hillary. It was only by watching him and hearing him and learning who he is, that I won’t vote for him.
Yes he (could) have changed since 2005, but like Obama, we won’t know until he is in office for sure, then it is too late.
And like Obama, I looked into who he was before he ran for office, and he turned out to be the same person when he got into power. You might paint over a leopard to cover his spots, but he is still leopard.
I’ve watched and listen to Trump change his position, depending on who he is talking to, but he calls it “being flexible” while calling others who do the same thing “liars”. So that these policies Wayne refers to mean no more to me than empty fantasies. Hitler, like Obama and now Trump rode the populace movement calling for change and everyone sick and tired of the corruption of the progressives and communist voted him in just like Obama and Trump without really knowing what he’ll do. And yet Hitler got rid of the Communist and the Democrats & Republicans & Unions & the feeble & Jews & Christians and anyone who wouldn’t Cow-tow to him. And anyone who won’t support Trump gets threatened to be destroyed.
I told the Trumpster back in the primary, that if you look at who Trump is, you’ll know what he will do. He destroyed the USFL (United State Football League) back in the 1980s-1990s, when he got in it. He had to have the biggest baddest football team in the league, and wouldn’t cap spending to allow the league to grow and be competitive instead he bankrupted his competition which collapsed the league, along with his own team. You can’t have a one team league.
So I said back then, if he gets the nomination he will blow-up the Republican party much like he blew up the USFL, and he did. He is not a team player, and you need the Republicans to vote for you if you are going to be their candidate, you cannot trash the whole party and then expect their support. So I also said if he gets the Presidency he will blow up the nation in the same way. That is just who he is, a one man circus act. Like Maeo Tse Tung, Joseph Stalin, Adolf Hitler, & Napoleon. He is the man who would be King. I say no to both of them.
This nation will collapse no matter if it is Clinton or Trump. That is why Trump won the Primary, it is in the Prophecies.
God has raised up Trump to do His will. But He foretold through Prophecy, His will. And He will bring America down.
It is now headed that way. The only way to avoid that is; “If His people who are called by His Name will humble themselves and pray and seek His face and turn from their wicked way” But they will not, As a whole, God’s people will not pray. They are pursuing pleasure and materialism and self-will. And just as when Jeremiah prophesied concerning the fall of Israel, so it will be with America. America’s sin is more than Sodom & Gomorrah’s.
Trump’s view of Christianity is: “Yes, I’m a Christian, I do the wine & cracker thing”. Irreverent. The wine & cracker thing is a cold reference of the precious blood & body of Christ. Don’t forget that Jimmy Carter made a point of being a “born again Christian” but he was still a Democrat who seriously hurt this country. And Trump was a Democrat before he decided to run as a Republican. I listen to his interview where said the Democrats were much better for the Country than the Republicans (before he became one). And it was in a meeting with Bill Clinton when Bill Clinton Persuaded Trump to run for Office. They, in practice are very much the same leopards. Liars.
Bro
On Tuesday, October 25, 2016 6:38 AM, Joe Wilson wrote:
I understand your point and this is not an argument simply and observation which you would do well to consider. First of all the media polls and coverage, and in many cases the polling is rigged to show Hillary ahead. She is not. The coverage showing Trump doing what he did, although true is designed to prevent him from winning the election.
God showed you that America is under judgement, that is true.
God is the only power that can save this nation from utter destruction. God’s plan is for all to be saved, even (and especially) those who are the most despicable among us.
As I may have said at your place on one of our discussions, Trump was not even on my radar as someone who would make it in the race. His arrogant self-serving behavior turned me off a long time ago.
And Hillary Clinton’s personal conduct and treatment of others, particularly police and military, have shown the world what her real agenda is. It’s all about her, at all costs, to get what she wants, when she wants it and nothing else matters to her, but her.
So we are faced with a dilemma, Trump or Clinton? No choice you say! I say different. There is a clear choice. What the media has not said, but what has happened is that God has raised up a man so despicable, so sinful and someone nobody could take seriously. A man outside the corrupt political establishment, yet often times a part of the very corruption.
God’s offer of salvation was extended to Donald J. Trump, thru the prayers, counseling and guidance of a number of prominent Christian pastors, leaders and evangelicals, and Trump accepted Christ as his savior, after the first debate. And if God can save Trump, like he did you and like he did me, God can change the course of this nation, which is still under judgement.
I’ve made my decision and will leave it at that.
You need to read what this man has to say about the election and about both Trump and Clinton and their proposed policies:
If You Don’t Like Either Candidate, Then Vote for Trump’s Policies
Wayne Grudem
Posted: Oct 19, 2016 12:14 AM
After I saw the shocking 2005 video with Trump talking about his sexual aggression against women, I wrote, “There is no morally good presidential candidate in this election.” I condemned Trump’s immoral conduct and said I did not know how I would vote. I asked Townhall.com to remove my earlier article, “Why Voting for Donald Trump Is a Morally Good Choice.” I urged Trump to withdraw, hoping we could get a better candidate.
The liberal media loved this. “Evangelical theologian calls on Trump to withdraw.” I suddenly had more requests for interviews from mainstream news organizations than ever in my lifetime. I turned them all down.
And Trump did not withdraw.
Now, how should I vote?
Voting for Clinton and her ultraliberal policies is not an option for me as an evangelical Christian. Therefore I am left with two options: (1) vote for Trump, or (2) vote for a third-party candidate whose hopes of winning belong to fantasy, not reality.
And if these are my only two options, then voting for a third-party candidate has the clear effect of helping to elect Clinton, because it is taking my vote away from Trump. That is why the liberal media loved it when I said I was finding it hard to decide.
It also means that my two options are actually this: (1) vote for Trump, or (2) help Hillary Clinton get elected.
Once I put the choice in those stark terms, there is a good way to make a decision. Since I find both candidates morally objectionable, I am back to the old-fashioned basis on which I have usually decided how to vote for my entire life: Whose policies are better? Do I agree more with Trump’s policies or with Clinton’s?
It isn’t even close. I overwhelmingly support Trump’s policies and believe that Clinton’s policies will seriously damage the nation, perhaps forever. On the Supreme Court, abortion, religious liberty, sexual orientation regulations, taxes, economic growth, the minimum wage, school choice, Obamacare, protection from terrorists, immigration, the military, energy, and safety in our cities, I think Trump is far better than Clinton (see below for details). Again and again, Trump supports the policies I advocated in my 2010 book Politics According to the Bible.
A caution: There are still three weeks until the election. Given the questionable backgrounds of both candidates, there may still be another major “October surprise” about either Trump or Clinton – or both.
But there is also a positive possibility, because Trump claims he is a changed person from who he was in 2005 and he has apologized for how he acted back then. There is a possibility he has really changed, and I hope it is true. I don’t know. Therefore what I write here is my best judgment as of October 18, 2016, given the information we know now.
Moral objections to voting for Trump
Several Christian friends tell me they still have some moral objections to voting for Trump. They say evangelicals should vote for a third-party candidate. Here is why I am not persuaded by their objections:
(1) “My conscience won’t let me vote for Trump.”
Answer: I fail to see how your conscience lets you help Hillary Clinton get elected, for that is the result of withholding your vote from Trump. Does it not trouble your conscience to help advance the terrible harm that she will bring to the nation? (See details below.)
(2) “Voting for Trump means you approve of his immoral treatment of women.”
Answer: No, it absolutely does not. In my Oct. 9 opinion piece, I proclaimed to all the world that his treatment of women was morally wrong. And so did every other evangelical leader who is supporting him.
(3) “When faced with the lesser of two evils, choose neither one,”
Answer: I agree with this principle when facing a choice between doing two evil actions. For example, when faced with a choice between stealing and telling a lie, I should choose neither one. But this is not that kind of situation. We are not talking aboutdoing something evil. We are talking about voting.
Yes, it is morally evil to commit adultery. It is also morally wrong to approve of committing adultery. But that does not mean it is morally evil to vote for someone who has committed adultery. In a world affected by sin, voting for morally flawed people is unavoidable. Voting for the candidate you think will be best for the country (or do the least harm to the country) is not a morally evil action, so this objection does not apply.
(4) “If you vote for Trump you’ll never have credibility in the future when you say that character matters.”
Answer: I disagree. The current chaos over Trump’s candidacy (and Clinton’s) is mostly because of character issues, and character will continue to matter in future elections, perhaps even more so because of this election.
On the other hand, if you refuse to vote for Trump, how can you ever have credibility in the future when you say that the policy differences between candidates and between political parties matter?
I have read the Republican platform and the Democratic platform for this year. In my opinion, the Republican platform is more consistent with biblical moral principles than any platform I have ever read. And the Democratic platform is more antithetical to Christian principles than any platform I have read. This is important, because most elected officials vote consistently with their party’s platform most of the time. Policy differences do ultimately determine the future of the nation.
(5) “We have to send the Republican Party a message that a candidate like Trump is unacceptable.”
Answer: You don’t have to. You want to, perhaps thinking that it will demonstrate moral courage and heroism. But the leadership of the Republican Party already knew that Trump was the most unacceptable of all the choices we had. They fought tooth and nail against Trump in the primaries, and he won anyway.
Is it worth turning the country over to a corrupt Clinton political machine that is hostile to Christian values, just to “send a message” that the party leaders already agree with? That’s a steep price to pay.
And why not vote to help defeat Clinton and send the entire nation the message that a candidate like Clinton is even more unacceptable?
(6) “It is wrong for Christians to place their trust in a morally compromised man.”
Answer: Our ultimate trust of course should be in God alone. But the question in this election is not whether we trust Trump or God. The question is whether we trust Trump or Clinton.
When the apostle Paul was on trial before the Roman governor Festus, he saw that things were going badly, so he said, “I appeal to Caesar” (Acts 25:11). But “Caesar” was the emperor Nero, an immoral and corrupt person. This doesn’t mean that Paul was trusting in Nero instead of in God, but it means he wisely decided that he would have a better chance for a fair trial under Nero than under Festus.
Similarly, I think we have a much better chance for good government under Trump than under Clinton.
(7) “I could never tell my friends that I voted for Trump.”
Answer: Why not? Are you acting out of a misplaced fear of what your friends will think? The future of the country is at stake. Is it worth it for you to pay the price of disapproval from your friends?
(8) “We should vote for neither one and trust a sovereign God to bring about his good purposes for the nation.”
Answer: Every time I hear this objection, I think of the story of a man who climbed up to the roof of his house in a flood and prayed for God to save him. A man with a boat came along and urged him to get in, but he refused, saying, “God will save me.” Another boat came and he gave the same response. Finally, as the waters were lapping at his feet, a helicopter came and dropped a rescue harness to him. He waved it away, yelling out, “God will save me!”
Then he drowned in the flood, and when he got to heaven, he asked God, “Why didn’t you save me when I prayed to you?” God replied, “I sent two boats and a helicopter.”
The moral of the story is that God often works through human means to answer our prayers. And I think that the ballot box in this election is still the human means that God has given in answer to our prayers that he would deliver us from the increasing opposition to Christian values brought on by the Democratic Party and the Obama administration. Why not vote for the candidate whose policies are best, and also trust God for the future of the nation? Please don’t wave away the helicopter – even a faulty helicopter – and later say to God, “Why didn’t you save us?”
(9) “Are there no limits to what you will tolerate in a candidate?”
Answer: This is the question that set me back on my heels and threw me into a few days of uncertainty after the release of the Trump video.
In the end, I decided it is useless at this point to speculate about all possible future elections. The question facing us is how we should vote in this election, given what we know now. The question is whether Clinton or Trump would be a better president. My conclusion is that, because I agree with his policies, Trump is the far better choice.
(10) “My vote doesn’t really matter. I don’t even live in a battleground state.”
Answer: This election is unlike any other in our lifetimes, and it is possible that the polls are more wrong than they have ever been. Individual votes matter. George W. Bush became president because of only 537 votes in Florida in 2000.
In addition, your vote sends a signal. Every vote in every state affects the margin of victory for the winning candidate. A large nationwide victory gives a strong political mandate and a lot of political clout going forward. A small victory gives a weak mandate and less political clout going forward.
In future years, people will ask, “In 2016, did you do what you could to stop Hillary Clinton or did you vote in a way that helped and encouraged her?” If we fail to vote to stop Clinton and her support for abortion rights, government imposition of gender confusion on our children, hate speech laws used to silence Christians, and government-sanctioned exclusion of thousands of Christians from their lifelong occupations because they won’t bow to the homosexual agenda — will our failure to oppose these evils destroy our Christian witness for the future? Will our grandchildren ask us why we failed to at least vote to try to stop the imminent triumph of anti-Christian liberal tyranny when we had the ability to do so?
(11) “I can’t trust Trump to do what he promises.”
Answer: This objection carries no weight with me. It asks me to believe that Clinton will be a better president than Trump even though Clinton promises to do what I consider bad things for the country while Trump promises to do good things. This objection says I should vote third-party and help the person who promises to do bad things rather than vote for the person who promises to do good things. This is nonsense.
Of course we cannot know Trump or Clinton’s future conduct with 100% certainty, but we should decide based on the most likely results. And the most likely result is that both Trump and Clinton will do most or all of what they have promised. That’s what elected officials always do, or they lose the support of their own party and become totally ineffective. Their policy differences matter a lot.
Yes, Trump has changed his mind, but notice how he has changed his mind. His policy statements continue to move in a more conservative direction, and he has chosen a very conservative vice president and list of judicial appointments. His transition team includes many solid conservatives, and they will determine many of his appointments and much of what his administration will do. Just as he succeeded in business by listening to the best experts to solve each problem, I suspect that he has been learning from the best experts in conservative political thought and has increasingly found that conservative solutions really work. We should applaud these changes.
His choice of Indiana governor Mike Pence as his vice presidential running mate is an especially significant indication that he will govern as a conservative. Pence was outstanding when he debated Tim Kaine in the vice presidential debate. Trump could have picked a moderate but instead picked a lifelong solid conservative who is a thoughtful, gracious policy wizard. Pence is a lawyer and former talk radio host who served 12 years in Congress and had significant congressional leadership positions, so he will be immensely helpful in working with Congress. He is a committed evangelical Christian. He is a former board member of the Indiana Family Institute, a conservative Christian lobbying group in Indiana.
(12) Conclusion on moral objections
Trump has a morally tainted past. I will be voting for him, not with joy but reluctantly because of his deplorable past mistreatment of women. I wish the Republican candidate were someone with a spotless moral reputation (such as Mike Pence). But because anything I do will help elect either Trump or Clinton, these moral objections raised against voting for Trump are not finally persuasive to me. Most of them become even stronger arguments for voting to stop Clinton.
Two different futures for the nation
In the rest of this article, I will compare the results we could expect from a Clinton presidency with what we could expect from a Trump presidency. (The remainder of this article is an updated form of the political policy sections of my earlier article, “Why Voting for Donald Trump Is a Morally Good Choice.”)
The Supreme Court with Clinton as president
Hillary Clinton would quickly replace Justice Scalia with another liberal like Breyer, Ginsburg, Sotomayor, and Kagan. This would give liberals a 5-4 majority on the Supreme Court even without Justice Kennedy, and 6-3 when he votes with them.
But that is not all. Justice Ginsburg is 83, and she has had colon cancer, pancreatic cancer, and has a heart stent. Justice Kennedy is 80. Justice Breyer is 78. A President Clinton could possibly nominate three or four justices to the Supreme Court, locking in a far left activist judiciary for perhaps 30 or more years. She could also add dozens of activist judges to federal district courts and courts of appeals, the courts where 99% of federal lawsuits are decided. Judicial tyranny of the type we have seen when abortion rights and same-sex marriage were forced on the nation would gain a permanent triumph.
The nation would no longer be ruled by the people and their elected representatives, but by unelected, unaccountable, activist judges who would dictate from the bench about whatever they were pleased to decree. And there would be nothing in our system of government that anyone could do to stop them.
That is why this election is not just about Hillary Clinton. It is about defeating the far left liberal agenda that any Democratic nominee would champion. Liberal Democrats are now within one Supreme Court justice of their highest goal: gaining permanent control of the nation with a five vote majority on the Supreme Court, and then systematically imposing every liberal policy on the nation not through winning elections but through a relentless parade of one Supreme Court decision after another.
Even if Clinton were to drop out of the race (perhaps due to additional shocking email disclosures, for example), our choice in the election would be just the same, because any other Democratic nominee would appoint the same kind of liberal justices to the Court.
Abortion
On abortion, a liberal court would probably find the ban on partial-birth abortion to be unconstitutional (it was upheld by only a 5-4 majority in Gonzalez v. Carhart, 2007). This would allow babies in the ninth month of pregnancy to be partially delivered out of the birth canal, and then have their skulls crushed so that they are not born alive. Hillary Clinton supports protection of this horrendous practice.
In addition, the court could find an absolute “right to abortion” in the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution and then sweep away with one decision most or all of the restrictions on abortion that pro-life advocates have worked for tirelessly over the last 43 years, including ultrasound requirements, waiting periods, parental consent requirements, and prohibitions on non-doctors performing abortions.
Voters should not doubt the power of the Supreme Court to abolish all these laws restricting abortions. Think of the power of the Obergefell v. Hodges 5-4 decision in June, 2015. It instantly nullified all the work that thousands of Christians had done over many years in persuading the citizens of 31 states to pass constitutional amendments defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman. But no one is campaigning for such laws or amendments anymore, because it would be futile. The Supreme Court has spoken, and therefore the issue is settled in the political system of the United States. We lost – not at the ballot box, but because we had a liberal Supreme Court that nullified the democratic process regarding the definition of marriage.
So it would certainly be with any efforts to place legal limitations on abortion. Nobody would campaign any more for laws to limit abortions, because any such laws would be unconstitutional. The legislative lobbying work of pro-life advocacy groups would be totally and utterly defeated. Millions of unborn children would continue to die.
Religious liberty
The current liberal agenda often includes suppressing Christian opposition to its views. So a liberal court would increasingly nullify rights of conscience with respect to forced participation in same-sex marriage ceremonies or expressing moral objections to homosexual conduct. Already Christians are being pushed out of many occupations. Florists, bakers, and professional photographers have had their businesses destroyed by large fines for refusal to contribute their artistic talents to a specific event, a same-sex wedding ceremony to which they had moral objections.
What about protecting people’s religious freedom? Clinton recently said, about Christians who oppose abortion, “Deep-seated cultural codes, religious beliefs, and structural biases have to be changed.”
Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran in Atlanta was removed from his job because of self-publishing a religious book that briefly mentioned the Bible’s teachings regarding non-marital sexual conduct, including homosexuality, amidst a host of other topics. His situation holds ominous implications for any Christians who hold public sector jobs. In our military services, many high-ranking officers have quietly been forced to resign because they were unwilling to give support to the homosexual agenda.
Mozilla/Firefox CEO Brendan Eich was pushed out from his own company merely because he had donated money to Proposition 8 in California, supporting marriage between one man and one woman. This event has troubling implications for Christians in any corporate executive role who dare to support a political position contrary to the liberal agenda.
Last year Boston urologist Paul Church, a Harvard Medical School faculty member, lost his hospital privileges at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center because he had expressed concerns about the medical dangers associated with same-sex activity.
Are my predictions about this kind of loss of religious liberty too grim? The three conservative justices still on the Supreme Court expressed similar concerns just last month. The case concerned a Washington pharmacy that has been owned for 70 years by the Stormans family, who are committed Christians. They will likely now be put out of business by the Washington State Pharmacy Board for refusing to dispense an abortion-causing prescription drug. On June 28, 2016, the Supreme Court refused to hear the Stormans’ appeal, in spite of the strong dissent written by Justice Alito (joined by Roberts and Thomas):
“At issue are Washington State regulations that are likely to make a pharmacist unemployable if he or she objects on religious grounds to dispensing certain prescription medications. . . . . there is much evidence that the impetus for the adoption of the regulations was hostility to pharmacists whose religious beliefs regarding abortion and contraception are out of step with prevailing opinion in the State . . . . If this is a sign of how religious liberty claims will be treated in the years ahead, those who value religious freedom have cause for great concern.”
Christian business owners
If Clinton appoints just one more liberal justice, it is likely that many Christian business owners will be targeted. Hobby Lobby won its 2014 Supreme Court case (again 5-4), so it was not compelled to dispense abortifacients to its employees, but that case could be reversed (the four liberal justices in the minority, Ginsburg, Breyer, Sotomayor, and Kagan, are still on the court). If that case is overturned, it would force Hobby Lobby out of business, because the Green family had said they would shut down the company of 23,000 employees and over $3 billion in annual sales if they lost the decision. The implications for other Christian business owners with pro-life convictions are ominous.
These incidents show that it is not an exaggeration to say that, under a liberal Supreme Court resulting from Hillary Clinton’s election, Christians would increasingly experience systematic exclusion from hundreds of occupations, with thousands of people losing their jobs. Step-by-step, Christians would increasingly be marginalized to the silent fringes of society. Is withholding a vote from Donald Trump important enough to pay this high a price in loss of freedom?
Some Christians have even hinted to me that “persecution would be good for us.” But the Bible never encourages us to seek persecution or hope for it. We should rather work to prevent such oppression of Christians, just as Jesus taught us to pray, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” (Matthew 6:13). Paul did not encourage us to pray that God would give us bad rulers but good ones who would allow us to “lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way” (1Tim. 2:2).
Christian schools and colleges
A liberal Supreme Court would also impact education. Christian colleges would likely be found guilty of “discrimination” if they required adherence to the Bible’s standards regarding sexual conduct, or even required affirmation of primary Christian beliefs. Campus ministries like Cru and InterVarsity have already been forced off of many university campuses following the 5-4 Supreme Court decision CLS v. Martinez (2010), which upheld the exclusion of the Christian Legal Society from the campus of Hastings College of Law in San Francisco. And we will likely see more bills like the early form of California’s SB 1146, which would have prohibited Christian colleges from requiring students or employees to hold Christian beliefs or abide by biblical moral standards regarding sexual conduct, and would prohibit colleges from assigning housing based on a student’s biological sex if a student claimed to be transgender. Colleges like Biola and Azusa Pacific could not long survive under those regulations.
With regard to elementary and high schools, laws promoting school choice or tuition voucher programs would likely be declared unconstitutional if they allowed such funding to go to Christian schools. A tax credit program for scholarships to private schools, including Christian institutions, was only upheld by a 5-4 Supreme Court decision in Arizona Christian School Tuition Organization v. Winn in 2011, and all four liberal justices who voted against it are still on the court. Another possible target of the liberal agenda would be laws that allow for home schooling, if the secular/ liberal governmental hostility to home schooling in European countries is any indicator.
Churches
Churches would not be exempt from the impact of a liberal Supreme Court. The court could rule that any school district is allowed to ban churches from renting school buildings on Sundays, an action that could severely hinder the work of small churches and church planting in general. (This was already the ruling of the Second Circuit in the Bronx Household of Faith case regarding New York City public schools.) And some churches in Iowa have now been told that they have to make their bathrooms open to people on the basis of their “gender identity” if the churches are going to be open to the public at all.
Freedom of speech
Freedom of speech would be increasingly restricted in the public square. In 2014, the Supreme Court ruled that prayers of visiting pastors who prayed “in Jesus’ name” when they opened a city council meeting were allowed under the Constitution, but again it was a 5-4 decision (Town of Greece v. Galloway) and all four liberals who wanted to restrict such prayers are still on the court.
Criminalizing dissent
Another troubling possibility is that liberal activists, once in power, would further entrench themselves by criminalizing much political dissent. We have already seen it happen with the IRS targeting of conservative groups and with some state attorneys general taking steps to prosecute groups who dare to disagree with activists’ claims about the danger of man-made global warming. We have now seen what no one thought possible – the political corruption of both the IRS and the FBI under the Obama administration. A Clinton administration would be even worse.
The Supreme Court with Trump as president
By contrast, I continue to believe that many positive results would come from a Trump presidency.
On September 23, Trump released an expanded list of 21 possible Supreme Court justices and promised, “This list is definitive, and I will choose only from it in picking future justices of the United States Supreme Court.” I’m confident that Republicans in the Senate will hold Trump to this promise. A lawyer familiar with many of these names has told me that they constitute a “dream list” of outstanding judges who would uphold the original meaning of the Constitution and would not create new laws from the bench. They would uphold the “original meaning” view so strongly exemplified by Justice Scalia before his death.
If Trump would appoint a replacement for Scalia from his list of 11, and probably one or two other Supreme Court justices, then we could see a 5-4 or even 6-3 majority of conservative justices on the Supreme Court. The results for the nation would be overwhelmingly good.
Such a Supreme Court would finally return control of the nation to the people and their elected representatives, removing it from dictatorial judges who repeatedly make law from the bench.
Abortion
Such a court would likely overturn Roe v. Wade and return abortion laws and the regulation of abortion to the states.
Religious liberty
A conservative court would vigorously uphold the First Amendment, protecting freedom of religion and freedom of speech for Christian colleges, Christian ministries, and churches.
Such a court would likely overturn the horribly destructive decision in Lemon v. Kurtzman (1971) that changed the meaning of the First Amendment and ruled that a government action “must not have the primary effect of either advancing or inhibiting religion” (note: not a specific denomination but “religion” in general). A conservative court would likely declare that the First Amendment was only intended to prohibit the establishment of a state-sponsored church or denomination.
Such a decision would once again allow the nonsectarian affirmation of personal belief in God in public schools, would once again allow coaches to pray with their football teams before a game, and would allow visiting clergy to be invited to give a prayer at high school graduation ceremonies. It would also imply that nativity scenes without Santa Claus and Buddha should be allowed in government-owned parks and buildings at Christmas time. It wouldn’t require these things, but would allow them if local officials chose to approve them. It would restore true freedom of religion as the First Amendment intended.
It would also protect freedom of conscience for Christians who object to participating in abortions, or dispensing abortifacient medicines, or who do not wish to participate in same-sex wedding ceremonies. It is also possible that a conservative Supreme Court would eventually return control of marriage to the states.
Freedom for Christian influence in politics
Significantly, Trump has pledged to work to repeal the 1954 Johnson Amendment to the IRS code, which has been used for 62 years as a threat to silence pastors from speaking about political issues, for fear of losing their tax-exempt status. This would be a great victory for freedom of religion and freedom of speech.
In short, a Trump-appointed Supreme Court, together with dozens of lower court judges appointed by him, would probably result in significant advances in many of the policy areas important to Christians. It would also open the door to huge expansion of influence for the many Christian lobbying groups known as “family policy councils” in various states, especially enabling them to work for further legal protections for life, for marriage and family, and for religious liberty.
But the Supreme Court is not the only issue in this election. I agree with Trump and not Clinton on several other issues as well.
Taxes and jobs
Trump has pledged to cut taxes significantly, while Clinton wants to raise them. Trump is advocating a 15% tax rate for corporations rather than the current 35%. Lower corporate taxes would lead to business expansion and a massive increase in available jobs and higher pay levels. For individual taxpayers, Trump favors a top rate of 25%, but Clinton 45%. Most small businesses file under this individual rate, so once again Trump’s lower taxes would result in substantial expansion of businesses and many more jobs. Finally our economy would snap out of its eight years of anemic growth.
In my judgment, Christians should support lower tax rates that would lead to more jobs, because Obama’s economic policies for the last eight years have hurt lower income and low-middle income families the most. Many can’t even find jobs, and others can’t find full-time jobs. Those who have jobs struggle to survive with no meaningful pay raises year after year. It is no surprise that these are the people who are supporting Trump in overwhelming numbers.
Tax rates are also a good indicator of government control. Higher tax rates mean greater government control of our lives, while lower tax rates indicate greater freedom.
Restoring economic growth
Under the current Democratic administration, our once-powerful economy has limped along at an anemic 2% annual growth in GDP, whereas it should have been 4% or more. Hillary Clinton’s solution is more of the same. She wants to spend more government money to “stimulate” the economy, even though this hasn’t worked for eight years as we go further and further in debt. I think Clinton’s view is complete foolishness. (Democrats never seem to understand that for every dollar the government spends it has to take a dollar away from us, the citizens, hurting economic growth more than helping it.)
Trump wants to lower taxes to revitalize the economy, help businesses grow, and provide more good jobs. Trump’s plan is the only one that will work. (And here I speak as the co-author of a book on sustainable solutions to world poverty.)
Minorities
Two of the deepest causes of poverty among minority groups and racial tensions in our country are failing public schools in our inner cities and lack of available jobs. Trump expressed a commitment to solve these problems at several points in his acceptance speech at the Republican convention. He pledged to reduce taxes and regulations, leading to many more jobs. And he said,
“Nearly 4 in 10 African-American children are living in poverty, while 58% of African-American youth are not employed . . . . This administration has failed America’s inner cities. It’s failed them on education. It’s failed them on jobs. It’s failed them on crime . . . . Every action I take, I will ask myself: does this make life better for young Americans in Baltimore, Chicago, Detroit, Ferguson who have as much of a right to live out their dreams as any other child in America? . . . . We will rescue kids from failing schools by helping their parents send them to a safe school of their choice.”
By contrast, Clinton will bow to the teachers’ unions and oppose school choice at every turn, and she will continue to strangle businesses with high taxes and regulations, preventing job growth.
School choice
Clinton and the Democrats want to keep taxpayers’ money going to support only public schools controlled by powerful teachers’ unions, even where those schools are failing horribly. Trump wants to let parents decide where their child’s share of the money goes, so that poor children will have the ability to choose between public, private, and Christian or other religious schools. I strongly agree with Trump’s position, because all children, especially inner-city children from poor families, need the opportunity to get better education so that they will find good jobs and no longer be trapped in poverty.
The military
Trump has promised to rapidly rebuild our depleted military forces, but Clinton would continue the liberal policy of eviscerating them through denying funding. This is dangerous in light of increasing threats from China, Russia, Iran, and ISIS.
Borders
Clinton will not secure our borders, but will continue to allow in what she thinks will be thousands of future Democratic voters. She actually said (privately, but now exposed through WikiLeaks) that she wants “open borders.” Trump has repeatedly promised that he will finally secure our borders, an urgent need to protect the nation from ever more terrorists and drug smugglers. I think we should continue to admit millions of immigrants to this great nation, but they should come in legally and fairly.
ISIS and terrorism
Trump has pledged to aggressively attack and utterly defeat ISIS. Clinton will continue the anemic Obama policy of periodic bombing runs and drone attacks, under which ISIS has continued to thrive.
China and Russia
Trump will not let China and Russia and Iran push us around anymore, as Obama has done, with Hillary Clinton’s support when she was Secretary of State. If Trump is anything, he is tough as nails, and he won’t be bullied.
Israel
Trump has promised to vigorously defend and support Israel, while Clinton will most likely continue the Obama administration’s criticism, snubbing, and marginalization of Israel.
Energy
Trump has said he will approve the Keystone oil pipeline and grant more oil drilling permits leading to lower energy costs and providing thousands of jobs. Lower energy costs help everybody, but the poor most of all. Clinton, by contrast, will make fracking nearly impossible and essentially abolish the coal industry, causing energy prices to skyrocket.
Executive orders and bathrooms
Trump has promised to rescind many of the most objectionable executive orders given by President Obama, so he will likely end the compulsory moral degradation forced on us by a liberal agenda, including orders forcing schools to allow boys in girls’ bathrooms and locker rooms, in defiance of the will of the vast majority of Americans. But Hillary Clinton would likely perpetuate and expand these policies.
Health care
Trump will work to repeal Obamacare, which is now imploding and also ruining the nation’s health care system, and replace it with an affordable free market system in which companies have the ability to sell insurance across state lines, thus substantially lowering insurance prices especially in those states that currently allow only high-priced “Cadillac” insurance plans. But Clinton would continue to work relentlessly toward federal government control of our entire health care industry.
Where I disagree with Trump
I don’t agree with Trump on everything. I didn’t like his earlier plan to immediately deport all undocumented immigrants, but he could never get it through Congress, and he has backed away from that and now only talks about deporting those convicted of crimes and those who have overstayed their visas. I also disagree with his views on free trade. But those differences are far outweighed by the huge areas where I agree with him.
The unprotected
Christian voters should consider one other factor. Trump promises to recognize and protect what Wall Street Journal writer Peggy Noonan calls “the unprotected” in America — people in lower income areas who cannot find good jobs, cannot find good schools for their children, do not feel protected from crime, and find their retirement savings are not enough because for years they have been earning no interest in the bank. Trump said in his acceptance speech, “Every day I wake up determined to deliver for the people I have met all across the nation that have been neglected, ignored, and abandoned . . . . I have joined the political arena so that the powerful can no longer beat up on people that cannot defend themselves.”
These American citizens may not have college degrees but their old-fashioned common sense tells them that America would be a much better place if we no longer had to be afraid to say “Merry Christmas,” or that boys are different from girls or that Islamic terrorists are Islamic terrorists, or that we still love this country. They’re sick and tired of being condescended to by the snobbish moralism of the liberal elites who dominate the power centers in our nation. That is why they cheer when Trump repeatedly violates the canons of politically correct speech. They have found in him someone who gives them hope, and they are supporting him by the thousands.
Christians should seek what is best for the nation
Some people urge me not to be so concerned about politics. I admit it would be easy just to teach my seminary classes and write academic articles and books.
But the apostle Peter says Christians are “exiles” on this earth (1 Peter 1:1). Therefore I take seriously the prophet Jeremiah’s exhortation to the Jewish people living in exile in Babylon:
“Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare” (Jeremiah 29:7).
By way of modern application, I think Christians today have a similar obligation to vote in such a way that will “seek the welfare” of the United States. The overriding question in deciding how to vote is, Which vote is most likely to bring the best results for the nation?
In addition, I seek to obey Jesus’ command, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39). This means that I have a moral obligation to seek a good government for my neighbor, and to prevent an anti-Christian liberal tyranny from taking power. If I love my neighbor as myself, then it does matter whether unborn babies are killed or not, whether Christians are forced out of their lifelong occupations are not, whether impressionable children are subjected to gender-reeducation propaganda in their schools or not, whether Christian schools and colleges can continue to operate freely or not, whether my neighbors are protected from terrorists or not, whether poor children are able to go to good schools or not, and whether my neighbor is able to find a good job or not. If I didn’t care about these things at all, I don’t think I would be loving my neighbor as myself.
My conclusion is that the most likely result of voting for Trump is that he will govern for the most part in the way he promises to do, bringing good to the nation in many areas.
But the most likely result of not voting for Trump is that we will be abandoning thousands of unborn babies who will be put to death under Hillary Clinton’s Supreme Court, thousands of Christians who will be excluded from their lifelong occupations because they won’t affirm same-sex marriage, thousands of the poor who will never again be able to find high-paying jobs in an economy crushed by government hostility toward business, thousands of inner-city children who will never be able to get a good education, thousands of the sick and elderly who will never get adequate medical treatment when the government is the nation’s only healthcare provider, thousands of people who will be killed by an unchecked ISIS, and millions of Jews in Israel who will find themselves alone and surrounded by hostile enemies. And we will be contributing to a permanent loss of the American system of government due to a final victory of unaccountable judicial tyranny.
This article represents the opinion of the author and should not be understood to represent the opinion of Phoenix Seminary.
On Monday, October 24, 2016 8:22 PM, My Brother wrote:
No. I would that Mr. Graham was right. It would be then like Trump could salvage something. However as the Lord let me to know back in 1990, is that America is come under Judgment! Neither Trump no Graham can prevent it.
Voting Clinton is like if you do, she will cut off your head, legs and arms. But vote Trump and he’ll spare your head.
Or vote for one is like voting for Joseph Stalin vote the other is like Adolf Hitler, your choice?
The problem I have is that I see no real difference between the two. I don’t believe either, both are liars. If you pick Trump, you’re just hoping that he’s not lying on the issues you care most about.
As for me, Trump will win Idaho, so I can vote my convictions and it will not affect the outcome, but I choose not to vote the lessor of two evils. The lessor is also evil. I will vote for the best person possible because that is where I stand. And if I can’t stand with that person, I will not vote for them either.
Colorado is a bit different, so you got to do what you got to do. God be with you. BRO
On Monday, October 24, 2016 6:24 PM, Joe Wilson wrote:
One needs only to look at Trump’s first presidency to see if he did indeed keep his promises or whether he caved to political pressure from the left or from the right. The impeachments, China Virus and endless legal persecutions were signs that Trump and America were both under deep spiritual attack.
By Trump’s own admission during the 4 years of the Biden/Harris Administration (2021-2025) was a time of reflection and deliberate planning on furthering his America First agenda of securing America’s borders, increasing America’s peace through strength military, resetting world trade with America and eliminating the wasteful and fraudulent spending, policies and administration of the U.S. Government within the 4 years allotted to a second term. A primary objective was to stop endless wars and prevent American military from getting sucked into foreign wars. All the while battling the left’s court challenges against the lawful and constitutional duties to the president’s Executive authority over immigration, domestic and foreign affairs all in just five months after being inaugurated for a second term. – RTM
The Real Truckmaster 