Tragedy Brings Out The Christian Nationalism in Trump’s Administration

There's danger in talk of demons and evil forces

When another horrific mass shooting occurred days ago, it first seemed the reaction would follow the usual path, with one side arguing for stricter gun laws and the other insisting that the rights enumerated in the Second Amendment allow for no limits on who can own what kind of firearm. Then came a fresh argument, at least where government officials are concerned. Karoline Leavitt, White House press secretary, said:

“There is a demonic force moving when a transgender maniac sprays bullets at pews of Catholic school children. Shame on the progressive leaders and lawmakers who make this about the man in the White House, the second amendment or so-called trans bigotry.”

If Leavitt’s statement baffles you, then you don’t live in the echo chamber of Christian nationalism where evil spirits can be blamed for tragic events and transexuals have become demons themselves. In this world, Christian morality, as they define it, should supersede the law and the Constitution. As they wait for the day when this occurs, Christian nationalists are doing their best to practice what they preach inside the Trump administration. It’s happening across the government. White House staffers assigned to a Faith and Opportunity Initiative are working on integrating religion and policy. The Office of Personnel Management has authorized prayer group meetings in federal offices. And Trump himself has said his government is “bringing religion back to our country.”

In the mass shooting case addressed by Press Secretary Leavitt, a 23-year-old shooter named Robin Westman, armed with a shotgun, a handgun, and a semi-automatic rifle, opened fire at a Catholic church service for students. Two children aged eight and ten were killed. Fifteen more youngsters and three adults were wounded before the attacker committed suicide. Westman, who left behind pictures of guns decorated with the names of previous mass shooters, was apparently transitioning from male to female.

No one knows how much Robin Westman’s transgender status had to do with the assault on the church. Westman left behind a manifesto that revealed anger over attacks on trans rights. However, also expressed bigoted views about Catholics. Robin was obviously obsessed with mass shooters and riddled with symptoms of mental illness, including depression and suicidal thoughts. The manifesto is full of contradictions, grievances, and slogans. It reveals Westman as so confused to admit “I can’t really put my finger on a specific purpose” for the attack.

One group of Americans is not confused. On social media and on conservative websites, people are using a new term -- “transterrorism” -- as they blame Westman’s gender identity issue for the violence. To them, the obvious mental illness, obsessions with violence, and the fact that she bought the guns illegally are meaningless details. Instead, they say the dead and wounded are victims of Westman’s ungodly condition. “If they are willing to destroy themselves and how God made them,” said Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, “then they are willing to destroy others, and we saw that happen today." Others on the far right of Christian politics talked of an “epidemic” of shootings by transgender people, even though the data doesn’t fit their claims.

You can always depend on certain people, like Greene, who has said “we should be Christian nationalists” to abuse religion when dealing with a crisis or tragedy. The difference, this time, is that the extreme rhetoric is also coming from a high-level White House official -- Leavitt -- who was clearly addressing the minority of Americans who believe everything should be seen through a fundamentalist Christian lens. These are the people whom Trump considers to be his core supporters, and this language resonates with them. Also, it is consistent with the Christian nationalism that permeates the administration.

Long a faint strain in American politics, Christian nationalism holds that the United States was founded as a strictly Christian nation. In their dreams, Congress would never make a law inconsistent with Scripture, the Supreme Court would adhere to religious principles, and presidents, believers all, would consult the Bible before taking any action. Like the Taliban of Christians. They intend to transform the United States into this kind of nation and justify their goal on the belief that America was always supposed to be a Christian country.

The religious and political leaders who say we were created as a Christian nation point to the fact that most of the founding fathers were believers and that some colonies had official churches. However, this ignores the fact that the official religions were explicitly banned in the Constitution. Indeed, the founding document does not mention God or Jesus and notes religion only to ban it from being used to test the qualification of candidates for office. Nine years after the Constitution was ratified, America’s second President, John Adams, affirmed that “...the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion...” These words were included in the Treaty of Tripoli, which ended pirate attacks on U.S. ships in the Mediterranean.

I doubt that Trump knows that God is absent from the Constitution, and I’m certain he doesn’t know that the Treaty of Tripoli ended pirate attacks on American vessels. However, he understands the power of religion in his political base, which explains why he has catered to the Christian nationalist movement with his use of its language and his appointment of many Christian nationalists to top posts in his administration. The most prominent are budget czar Russell Vought, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Paula White-Cain of the Office of Faith and Opportunity Initiative, and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.

Hegseth is affiliated with a network of Christian Nationalist churches and has endorsed a Christian Nationalist pastor, Joshua Haymes, who advocates for an American theocracy that would practice public executions. He has Christian Nationalist tattoos and has written that America is in the middle of a “holy war.”

While many Christian Nationalists do talk about fighting actual wars (particularly in the Middle East) they are mostly concerned with a kind of spiritual battle against nonbelievers, including those who also call themselves Christians. They also speak of fighting the forces of Satan, who is especially interested in the United States because it is destined to fulfill a special divine purpose.

In the secular realm, Christian nationalists fight battles over socio-political issues, many related to gay and transgender people who conservative Christians believe prey on children. No evidence supports their fears, but gay and trans people make convenient enemies. Given the power to act against them, Hegseth banned transgender individuals from serving in the military.

Paula White-Cain has called support for transgender people an “ideology” that is “against God” and has argued for an end to marriage equality for gay and lesbian couples. She also advocates for a movement called Seven Mountains Dominionism, which seeks a fundamentalist takeover of seven key areas of society, including family, government, media, education, art, entertainment, and business.

The idea that super-conservative Christians have “dominion” over the nation is also promoted by Russell Vought, the head of Trump’s Office of Management and Budget. Vought has said he is “pretty close to Christian nationalism” and “wants to make sure we can say we are a Christian nation.” He also headed the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, which set the Trump administration’s agenda and promotes Christian nationalism. He has said, “…you have to rehabilitate Christian nationalism” to make it more palatable to more Americans. Last year, Vought gave a speech titled, “Theology of America’s Statecraft: The Case for Immigration Restriction.” It said that border enforcement is the government’s “God-given responsibility.”

In practical terms, the responsibility Vought describes rests on the shoulders of the Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, whose department is charged with carrying out Trump’s campaign to detain and expel millions of undocumented immigrants. She has said that all politicians must “line up with the Word of God.” After the Minneapolis shooting, Noem put out a statement that called Westman a “monster” and said she was praying for “Christians everywhere.” All mass shooters are monsters of a sort, but as she links Westman’s attack with Christians everywhere, Noem is aligning herself with those who believe in “transterror” and that their Christian nation is under attack by Caroline Leavitt’s “demonic force.”

Leavitt’s statements are consistent with her view of her job as spokesperson for the President of the United States. She has said her work is a form of “spiritual warfare” and has often spoken of divine intervention on Trump’s behalf. She has also said that she has seen “evil forces” arrayed against him.

Were you to ask Leavitt and the others, they would identify themselves as patriots whose beliefs rest on the country’s foundation. But with their talk of demons and evil, they are framing reality in a way that would justify Donald Trump’s campaign for fascist power. If you truly believe that God created America as an expression of your personal faith and wants you to wage war against those who believe otherwise, then anything goes. Witness the mix of religious and political symbols — including a banner showing Jesus wearing a red Make America Great Again cap — displayed by the violent mob that attacked and seized the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2020.

It’s hard to imagine a more dangerous type of rhetoric.