Why am I so critical of President Trump?
If we had a normal, principled Republican Party and conservative movement that was willing to call him out when he is wrong, I would be less critical.
I have been consistently critical of President Trump for the last decade. Even as a Trump supporter from 2017 through 2020, I did not hesitate to criticize him when he is wrong. Why is that? This is why: "He's a Trump hater. On that alone, I dismiss him."
This was said regarding a conservative podcaster who had been very critical of President Trump in 2015 and 2016, and supported President Trump from 2017 onward. But unless you were 100% on board from the very beginning, and if you were ever critical of him, you will forever be deemed a "traitor" or a "hater" in the eyes of his most devoted fans. Folks, this is how a cult operates: Total, unquestioned loyalty to Dear Leader and absolutely no dissent whatsoever and no forgiveness for "heretics." Everything he does must be praised.
Here is another reason: President Trump "is the spiritual father of the American people and arguably the strongest Christian to ever hold the office of President of the United States."
This is not just wrong, it is laughable. President Trump is a thrice married serial adulterer who gloats over the brutal murder of his political enemies, says they deserved to die for criticizing him, and celebrates the divorce of his political enemies after spending years openly attacking that man's marriage. He has absolutely no discipline over his filthy mouth. He revels in openly fantasizing about violence against his political enemies. The idea that he is the "strongest Christian" to ever hold the office is heresy and idolatry.
Can we restrain our praise and offer a more realistic assessment of President Trump? He is not a Christian, but has been a bulwark against the excesses of the radical Left on things like the "trans rights" madness. Conservative Christians have a seat at the table with President Trump, whereas we would not have had any influence had Senator Hillary Clinton or Vice President Kamala Harris been elected in 2016 or 2024. President Biden weaponized the federal government against pro-life activists, just as Vice President Harris did when she was Attorney General in California. President Trump has implemented a number of good policies, including tax cuts and repealing harmful regulations on business.
A better comparison is that President Trump is like Cyrus the Great, a pagan emperor who sent the Jews back to Israel, allowed them to build the temple, and paved the way for Israel to once again become a semi-autonomous political entity while still under the influence of Persia and then the Roman Empire.
If we had a normal, principled Republican Party and conservative movement that was willing to call him out when he is wrong, I would be less critical. But too many Republicans and conservatives feel compelled to praise and defend every single thing he does. Obsessively praising everything he does is unacceptable, especially when you know he is wrong, such as with his deranged social media tirades.
Now, to a common criticism: I am "virtue signaling" by criticizing President Trump. Yes, I live in Bloomington, Indiana, a very liberal city in deep red Indiana. But almost all of my readers and the majority of my friends are Trump supporters, some enthusiastically so. It would have been be very easy for me to silence my criticisms of the President back in 2016 and gotten on board. I would never have been a cult member who obsessively praises everything he does, but I would get less grief if I kept my mouth shut about his excesses.
Furthermore, I will never have the praise and admiration of the Left. I have been part of the anti-abortion movement for nearly 30 years, including picketing at Planned Parenthood when they were murdering babies. Leftists have often been enraged by my letters to the editor and guest columns, especially on matters such as religious liberty. Even if I became fully Leftist, many of them would (rightly) never trust me as a legitimate ally and would hold my past against me. If I am "virtue signaling" to the Left, I am doing perhaps the most incompetent job possible.
I do not regret any of my criticisms of President Trump, and I will continue to criticize him when that is necessary. I will especially continue to criticize the wicked, idolatrous cult mentality of his most devoted fans. And yes, I will defend him when he is right or against unreasonable criticisms, as I did with his criminal trials and overreactions to his undisciplined social media rants. I will continue to stand against the "all or nothing" cult mentality where you have to be 100% opposed to or 100% supportive of everything he does. My integrity will allow nothing less.
