Trump repeatedly told Christian supporters he would change the government so it won’t be necessary for them ever to vote again, presumably because he would give them everything they want. Last month at a Faith and Freedom Coalition event he said…
“Do you know the power you have if you would vote? … You’ve got to get out and vote, just this time. I don’t care — in four years, you don’t have to vote, okay? In four years, don’t vote,” he said. “I don’t care by that time, but we’ll have it all straightened out, so it’ll be much different.” But if Democrats were to come into power, he said at the time, “they’ll ruin it [and] we’ll have to do this all over again.”
That echoes his recent statement at the Believers Summit in West Palm Beach, Fla., where he said…
“Christians, get out and vote, just this time. You won’t have to do it anymore. … You got to get out and vote. In four years, you don’t have to vote again. We’ll have it fixed so good you’re not going to have to vote.”
There are some issues that I want to present:
1) Trump is promising not only a dictatorship, but specifically, a theocracy based on Christian extremism including, but not limited to, reducing or eliminating women’s right to an abortion. He told his Christian supporters he will give them everything they want, and since they would get what they want, it won’t be necessary for them to vote again. I have not read evidence of Trump stating “you never have to vote again” to a different type of audience. The mission of the Faith and Freedom Coalition includes: “Mobilize and train people of faith to vote” and “Speak out in the public arena and in the media on behalf of Christian values.” They are anti-choice, promote traditional marriage, and want to end the “unchecked influx of migrants across the southern border is stretching resources, increasing crime, and raising serious concerns about national security.” Therefore, they are an extremist group that wants a government that reflects their type of Christianity.
The goal of the Believer’s Summit is to “counteract the prevailing 'woke' narratives with grace, truth, and conviction, rooted in the Gospel.” Therefore, they are also an extremist right-wing Christian group. Thus, Trump is tailoring his dictatorship goals to align with Christian extremism. Before he was elected president he promised to end Roe vs. Wade, and he delivered that to his supporters. And now he is promising more policies to Christian extremists, not only this or that law, but apparently, to give them everything they want. People often talk about Trump’s megalomaniac self-image implying that is why he wants to be a dictator, but little is said of the type of social policies that he plans to enact which the evidence shows would be Christian fundamentalism.
2) Trump’s statement last month is almost identical to his recent dictatorship statement, yet the media didn’t make a big deal about it till now. That shows that they are not serious about reporting his right-wing extremism. By focusing on Trump’s egotism, often mocking him as ridiculous, they miss the main story that this is a man who caters to Christian fundamentalists and has a record of delivering his promise of attacking modern values in favor of traditional values, which translates to hatred against women, minorities, and LGBT people. Democrats and the media should focus on Trump’s negative version of what he calls “Christianity.”
Finally, I think that Democratic donors would do well to offer a financial reward to anyone who provides evidence of Trump’s specific goals to attack the democratic process before, during, or after the election. The Constitution was created to prevent dictatorship and Trump is obviously saying he wants to be a dictator. Professor Daniel Ziblatt said, “I can’t think of a major candidate for office in any democracy on Earth since at least World War II who speaks in such overtly authoritarian ways...Not Victor Orban in Hungary, not Recep Erdogan in Turkey. Nowhere.”
Obviously, Trump’s dictator goals are not compatible with U.S. law. So, it’s actually illegal to do the things he’s promising to Christian fundamentalists. Yet he is allowed to make those statements without legal consequences or a government investigation. If a person clearly say’s he is going to commit a crime, he should be questioned by the police and/or FBI. It’s as if Trump said, I’m going to rob Bank of America on November 5th, and the police did nothing. Legal authorities and the media have been negligent of their job duties.
