Over the years, people have suggested that Eric Trump may not be the brightest member of his family, even though in all likelihood it’s a close contest between him and Donald Trump Jr. Both have the habit of firing off posts on X that are larded with misspellings. Both have also had questionable roles running The Trump Organization which is now facing the very real possibilities of a $370 million fine and even the chance that their father, Donald Trump may find it nearly impossible to conduct real estate business in New York ever again.
Now, however, Eric, his wife Lara Trump, and dear old Dad’s attorney, Alina Habba, seem to have got religion. At least that’s what Right Wing Watch is reporting. The night before the Iowa caucus, the trio met with self-proclaimed “prophet” Amanda Grace, who was hosting a “Night of Prayer for the Trump Family and the Nation” and other members of Donald Trump’s inner circle. Which also included the likes of Roger Stone, conspiracy theorist Clay Clark, MAGA pastor Jackson Lahmeyer, and really nutball “prophet” Robin Bullock.
And yes, they were all on board for Eric’s dad appearing at the caucus. Natch.
Grace began the program by interviewing Eric and Lara and that led Eric to proclaim his father had been infested, er I mean, guided by God.
“i think he’s created the greatest political movement in history,” Eric said. “and i really do believe that someone,something is looking down and guiding him every single day because there’s no way in the world he could have been where he is today without the intervention of God.”
Of course, the Catholic Church thought it was doing the right thing during the Crusades (1095-1291 CE) when it slaughtered more than 1.7 million people, so if this is the best God can do, I have a few bones to pick with Him. He’s been busy in Gaza, Ukraine, and scads of other places around the globe, so it would be nice if he’d give that whole war thing a rest.
But of course, Eric is lucky if he can put one foot in front of the other, so things like the Crusades, and the atrocities of World Wars l and ll never really cross his mind. He’s fully convinced his dad has God’s ear.
“i feel it. i know it,” the younger trump said. “i really do believe that there’s divine intervention there. i think somebody was guiding him. he’s a remarkable father. he did a remarkable job for the united states of america, and i truly pray to the lord that he wins again [and] he sorts out this country because we are in dangerous times, and it’s scary.”
Then Alina Habba had her say, and she claimed all of Trump’s legal difficulties were part of a “demonic plan.”
“i think that there is a plan,” habba said. “there’s god’s plan, and then there’s a demonic plan. and the demonic plan is very easily confused with real life (but then so is Alina). there’s an orchestrated thing going on here. don’t get it twisted. we have cases lined up intentionally during election time, intentionally trying to get negative attention right before an election.”
“he’s being pulled from the campaign time and time again to be deposed, to be subpoenaed, to go to trial, to fight the fight to clear his name,” Habba said. “But the people that know him and the people that have faith and are reading—the people that are educating themselves, the people that are not listening to the fake news—they will understand and they do understand and they stand with him. and honestly, we’re flipping the ones that don’t know, because their demonic plan is so obvious.”
She concluded with “Pray for people to open their eyes. They like to call MAGA Republicans a cult mentality. We’re not a cult mentality; we love America. If that’s a cult, I’m happy to love America. I’m happy to be part of that.”
But I’ve got a question. It seems to me that if God can listen, so can Satan. How did they know they weren’t talking to Him instead? He’s quite the prankster after all.
He’d think of Donald Trump as a real joke.
I’m agnostic but if I’m wrong and there is a God and a heaven and hell then I’m quite certain that it’s Satan that’s guiding Trump and not God. The bible does after all warn about a false prophet appearing before Jeebus returns and Trump sure as hell seems to be everything the bible says to watch out for when that false prophet/Jesus makes his appearance!
I hope folks will check out the article here on PZ about Lincoln Project’s response to Trump’s “God sent Trump” ad. LP gets it right with their “God Made A Dictator” ad which notes at the end Trump is a test from God. And one damned near 73 million people failed by voting for him in 2020 after four years of seeing what he’d done. Now he’s promising not just more of the same but to be WORSE! Funny, and someone correct me if I’m wrong but I seem to recall the story of Job and God feeling guilty about what he’d put Job through to test him and said never again. Yet as you note since even Jesus is said to have lived there have been countless wars including literal World Wars because people fell under the spell of brutal dictators who proclaimed themselves in effect “divine rulers.”
And now we’ve got Trump. Just what the fuck kind of God keeps doing this to humanity?
I am atheist/agnostic and felt the need to once again lampoon these fools. If there is a God, he’s not merciful and he’s given us nightmarish dictators like Pol Pot, Augusto Pinochet, and of course, Adolf Hitler. If Trump wants to play dictator, he’ll be a piker in this game so maybe God’s playing a weird prank, or Satan’s having his day. I don’t particularly believe in either one of them but decided to ridicule their silly notions as I have done before when I wrote for Friendly Atheist.
There’s no actual answer to the existence or nature of evil. The book of Genesis, written by an unknown author, as most of the books of the Bible are, clearly states, we are responsible because God warned Adam and Eve about the tree of knowledge of good and evil, but they disobeyed and unleashed evil upon themselves and all humanity. Some may ask, why have the knowledge of evil there at all? Well I can only theorize, there would be no free will if there was no choice involved. Every religion, at least those known and formalized into institutions, have the golden rule, i.e., the second greatest commandment Jesus reportedly taught: treat others the way you want to be treated. There’s little evidence humanity has ever followed that teaching.
In regards to how Trump became the false idol, Michael Coen related in his book he set up a meeting in 2015 with the Falwells and a couple of evangelicals. At that meeting, the devil…er…Trump lied and told them he was born again. They bought it. When they left, he said to Michael, “can you believe they believe that bullshit?” Of course, lying to religious hypocrites, whose careers are built on lies, is no big leap.
I like John Prine’s take: “your flag decal won’t get you into heaven anymore…it’s already overcrowded with your dirty little wars…and Jesus don’t like killing no matter what the reasons for…and your flag decal won’t get you into heaven anymore!” John…a true prophet! RIP
It would take too long to explain the part of my professional life where I read a rather profound article about nature, and the nature of living creatures. But at the end of a passage of a cruel incident the author spoke of how nature isn’t beautiful or ugly, serene or raging in fury but that “it just is.” The same (he wrote) is true of living beings in nature. It just is. Something to think about when contemplating good and evil because even (and given we have the capacity to reason if we choose to use it) human beings, each and every one of us has the capacity to do either good or evil. Again, something to think about.
As for that meeting, Falwell Jr. at least knew Trump was full of shit and lying. However he saw the potential for both from an alliance and instinctively knew that with a little sucking up/flattery Trump could be “bought” and so both played their games.
As for John Prine who I was lucky enough to see perform outside on the old campus of my alma mater (the stage was in front on Altgeld Hall where the School of Music was and since I minored in music I spent plenty of time inside over the years) I once rewrote one of his lyrics for Trump – from the chorus of Dear Abbey: “Hey Donald, Hey Donald you have no complaint; Cause you are what you are and you ain’t what you ain’t; So listen up Buster and listen up good; You’re a fat stupid asshole, Nothin bout you is good!”
Lucky you! I never saw him in person but always loved his songs. Great rewrite!
You don’t need a choice to have free will. Free will is also not having to choose.
Hmmmm… It could be that not choosing is in itself a choice…
that’s seriously fugged up. she sounds like my dead stepmother
a born-again hardcore evangelical to a tee.
and I was hearing shit like this in the late ’70’s so it’s grown up into
what they wanted all along.
America must protect itself from this bowel movement gone political.
If Earache and Donny Baby (and their parent) are ‘saved’ and on a path to Heaven, I’m booking a spot on the ‘down’ elevator.
Anyone who reaches a definitive idea or conclusion about the creator, or origin of this mystery, given the FACTUAL scale of distance and time, is worshipping an idol between their left and right ear. Openness to the mystery, clinging to the facts science has uncovered, and an education of the mysteries of the religions, philosophies, and cultures around the world will produce a ‘faith’ that is real. When death comes, just remember the line from Constantine, when Keneau Reeves’ assistant exorcist was dying: “it’s not like it is in the books is it John? No…Chaz it’s not”. Living with unanswerable mysteries takes faith, given, at any moment, our time is up!
Uday, or is it Qusay, is a little confused. His daddy did not create the greatest political movement but rather one of the larger shit-storms our nation has ever faced. I cannot even say he’s created the largest shit-storm because there were things like the civil war (similar cast of characters tho’), the McCarthy years, attacking Iraq…
I’ve got to believe these fatuous fools never watch/listen to themselves after they drop these little turds on the nation. Pity we can’t unsee/un-hear them.
I think it is more likely that the guidance is coming from.Below, not Above. And in.my head In am hearing “Those Were the Good Old Days” as sung by Ray Walston in Damned Yankees.