Some Christians are aghast at Trump’s $60 Bible ‘hustle’

Donald Trump’s latest fundraising gimmick is a flag–emblazoned Bible packed with American “founding” documents, Lee Greenwood song lyrics, and a very tenuous connection to Trump. If you’re a white Christian nationalist looking for justifications to knock down the already shaky wall between the government and religion, this tome that first appeared in 2021 is tailor-made for you. Otherwise, you’ll probably find it offensive.

With Greenwood waxing rhapsodic to The Tennessean about how there’s no “better match than faith and patriotism,” this might as well be the official Bible for the Republic of Gilead. And if the connection to Trump is relegated to some of the profits ending up in his bank account, that’s not unexpected. Putting his name on other people’s stuff is what he does. It’s not like Trump designed those gold sneakers. 

But for actual Christians—that is, the kind who think the Golden Rule might just be more important than giving Trump more gold to help him rule—this whole affair is nothing short of disgusting.

The “God Bless the USA” Bible includes the Bill of Rights, U.S. Constitution, Declaration of Independence, and Pledge of Allegiance. The first two of these documents make no mention of God at all. The third references the “Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God,” which may not mean what purchasers of this Bible think it means. But the Pledge of Allegiance does have plain old “God” in there—added during the Cold War as a middle finger to those pinko commies. Greenwood fans would probably like that part.

However, there are plenty of Christians who seem less than thrilled at Trump laying claim to their sacred text.

Speaking to MSNBC, the Rev. Al Sharpton said that Trump’s scheme brought to mind the word “blasphemy.”

“I think that people ought to realize how offensive this is to those of us that really believe in the Bible,” said Sharpton. “He’s doing this during Holy Week. Tomorrow is Good Friday. Sunday is Easter. Of all of the times you want to hustle using the Bible, why would you do it during Holy Week, which is really a spit in the face of people that really believe in the Bible from a Christian point of view?”

As U.S, News & World Report notes, Trump’s history with the Bible has been one long line of cringe.

In a 2016 speech at Liberty University, Trump cited a biblical reference as “Two Corinthians” instead of “Second Corinthians.”

Asked for a favorite Bible verse in 2015, Trump said: “I wouldn’t want to get into it because to me that’s very personal. You know, when I talk about the Bible, it’s very personal, so I don’t want to get into verses. … The Bible means a lot to me, but I don’t want to get into specifics.”

A year later, Trump indicated a favorite Bible verse of his involved the concept of “an eye for an eye,” saying the U.S. has “to be firm” and “very strong” in the face of “what’s happening to our country.” Notably, the phrase is rooted in Old Testament passages related to justice, while Jesus Christ in the New Testament contrasts the concept with a command to turn the other cheek when struck.

Also in 2015, Trump said he didn’t think he’d ever outright sought forgiveness from God, but referenced taking Communion: “When I drink my little wine – which is about the only wine I drink – and have my little cracker, I guess that is a form of asking for forgiveness, and I do that as often as possible because I feel cleansed,” he said. “I think in terms of, ‘Let’s go on and let’s make it right.’”

This isn’t even the first time Trump has put his name on a Bible. He’s been known to scrawl his giant signature on the Good Book when admirers ask for his autograph.

As awful as all that sounds, it’s a race to see what comes next—an evangelical church making this version the only acceptable text, or some Trumper claiming that the Constitution was written by two Corinthians. 

President Joe Biden’s approval ratings have been improving since his fiery State of the Union speech—as we predicted. At the same time, the Republican Party cannot stop the infighting, even as Donald Trump’s takeover seems to be complete. Markos and Kerry get into Biden’s improving fundamentals as the race to save America heats up.

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