A week ahead of the Iowa Republican caucuses, a new video depicting former president Donald Trump as a messianic figure caused a stir among the Iowa evangelical community.
The video, called “God Made Trump,” was shared by the former president on his Truth Social account Friday morning. In the video, a narrator paraphrases the Bible while describing Trump as “a man who cares for the flock” and “a shepherd to mankind who won’t ever leave nor forsake them.”
“I find it absolutely sickening, period,” said Michael Demastus, pastor of the Fort Des Moines Church of Christ. “Trump is not the Messiah.”
The video begins as a parody of Paul Harvey’s famous “So God Made a Farmer” speech, opening with a shot of the earth. A narrator says, “And on June 14, 1946, God looked down on his planned paradise and said, ‘I need a caretaker,’ so God gave us Trump.” A similar video about Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis circulated in 2022.
The Trump video includes repeated religious references and quotations from the Bible. A narrator describes Trump as one who “follow(s) the path and remain(s) strong in faith.” He paraphrases Psalm 140 to describe the “fake news media” — with “their tongues as sharp as a serpents” and “the poison of vipers ... on their lips” — and credits Trump with “finish(ing) a hard week’s work by attending church on Sunday.”
The video was created by Dilley Meme Team, a group of online content creators independent from the Trump campaign, though they work in close contact with it. The group — which calls itself Trump’s Online War Machine — has faced controversy for its vulgar and sexist content.
Demastus, who has called Trump “the most pro-life president we have ever had,” said he is not alone in his disgust of the new video. “Many other evangelical pastors find that video offensive,” he said.
Terry Amann, pastor of the Church of the Way in Des Moines, found the video distasteful. “Christians have no right to be offended by anything since Christ went to the cross totally innocent for us guilty sinners,” he said. “That being said, (the video) demeans Christianity, Trump and the people who made it. It says a lot about the people around Trump and their ‘worldly’ understanding of Christianity.”
Iowa Republicans officially kick off the 2024 election Monday, when they cast votes in the state party’s caucuses. Winning over evangelicals is a requirement for winning the Iowa caucuses; in 2016, the last time there was a competitive Republican primary, more than 60% of Republican caucus participants were evangelicals.
Iowa pastors denounce ‘God Made Trump’ video (msn.com)