Christians helped propel President-elect Donald Trump to victory within the 2024 election, voting for the previous president by bigger margins than in 2020.
Trump received a second time period with 312 Electoral School votes and greater than 77 million particular person votes — the primary time a Republican presidential nominee has claimed the favored vote since George W. Bush’s reelection in 2004.
In response to community exit polling, 63 p.c of Protestant or different Christian voters picked Trump in 2024, up from 60 p.c in 2020.
Associated: In presidential election, many Christian voters break up alongside racial traces
An excellent larger proportion of White Christians voted for Trump: 72 p.c of White Protestant or different Christian voters and 82 p.c of White born-again or evangelical Christians.
In a Christian Chronicle survey, members of Church buildings of Christ voiced their causes for supporting Trump, regardless of a lot of them believing Trump has vital — even un-Christian — character flaws.
The economic system, the border, abortion and transgender points have been of major significance for supporters of the president-elect.
A map from 270towin.com reveals the Electoral School breakdown within the 2024 presidential election.
The Trump marketing campaign promised to place a cease to inflation, which has just lately fallen to 2.6 p.c after spiking to 9.1 p.c in 2022, in response to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Client Worth Index. The ten-year common annual inflation price is just below 3 p.c.
Trump additionally promised, as in his 2016 marketing campaign, to complete the border wall with Mexico, implement immigration legal guidelines and start mass deportation of immigrants residing within the nation illegally.
The Division of Homeland Safety estimates the variety of immigrants residing within the U.S. with out everlasting authorized standing fell from 11.4 million to 10.5 million from 2015 to 2020, the tip of Trump’s first time period, rising again to 11 million in 2022 underneath President Joe Biden’s administration.
Whereas abortion was not a key challenge of Trump’s 2024 marketing campaign, his three earlier Supreme Courtroom appointments have been essential within the 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson resolution that overturned Roe v. Wade.
Trump has most just lately stated he wouldn’t assist a federal abortion ban, preferring to depart the matter to state legislatures. In the meantime, Kamala Harris had championed reproductive rights and supported federal abortion protections.
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On transgender points, Trump’s platform promised to “preserve males out of ladies’s sports activities, ban taxpayer funding for intercourse change surgical procedures and cease taxpayer-funded faculties from selling gender transition.”
He had pointed to Harris’ response to a 2019 questionnaire through which she voiced assist for gender-affirming take care of these depending on the federal government, together with prisoners and people in immigrant detention.
However whereas survey respondents supported the president-elect’s positions on these points, their opinions of his character have been extra blended.
Clint Davison, the 55-year-old preacher for the Linder Street Church of Christ in Meridian, Idaho, known as Trump “abrasive and borderline offensive.”
Others, like Selby Yates, a 26-year-old graduate of Harding College in Searcy, Ark., admire his brashness as welcome candor.
Selby Yates, a graduate of Harding College in Searcy, Ark., welcomes President-elect Donald Trump’s candor.
“He doesn’t beat across the bush and doesn’t sugar coat his responses. … The way in which he stands agency for the American individuals and stands as much as the biased left-leaning media is honorable,” Yates stated.
Regardless of respondents describing Trump as a “flawed man,” supporters see him as a champion for individuals of religion and Christian values — and maybe even somebody who has begun to develop into religion, notably after assassination makes an attempt have been made on him forward of the election.
“Struggle! Struggle! Struggle!” Donald Trump declared after being shot at a July marketing campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
“God spared my life for a cause,” Trump stated in his victory speech in November.
Carys Pate, 24, a touring bodily therapist who worships with the New Bern Church of Christ in North Carolina, stated she believes Trump’s philanthropic and different optimistic efforts typically go unreported whereas the information media highlight his errors and fake pas.
Carys Pate attends the New Bern Church of Christ in North Carolina.
“I believe he actually does care about Individuals,” Pate stated. “I do know private tales the place he has helped … pay medical payments.”
And whereas some have criticized Trump’s Make America Nice Once more platform as dangerous to girls and non-White Individuals, survey respondents pointed to the president-elect’s rising assist from these demographics.
Trump’s efficiency improved by 3 share factors, from 42 p.c to 45 p.c, amongst girls voters and seven share factors, from 26 p.c to 33 p.c, amongst non-White voters from 2020 to 2024, in response to community exit polls.
He notably gained assist amongst Hispanic/Latino voters, drawing 46 p.c of their votes, in comparison with 32 p.c in 2020.
“The reality is — and the election information reveals it — individuals of all races like the concept of constructing America nice,” stated Davison, the Linder Street preacher.
Britt Farmer, 65, preaching minister for the Aledo Church of Christ in Texas, added that it isn’t being extra White that may make America nice however fairly “the transfer to a extra ethical nation.”
Associated: Kingdom over nation
Nonetheless, most of those Christian voters for Trump acknowledge a divided church and nation — even when some say that polarization is fueled extra by media portrayals than actuality.
“The rhetoric, misinformation, promoted on social media, tv, and many others. from either side should share the blame,” wrote Invoice Robinson, the 70-year-old minister for the Higher West Manhattan Church of Christ in New York. “I’m actually unhappy to see Christians divide over politics any time. Sooner or later, and on some issues, Christians are simply going to must let God be the decide.
“I’ve some mates that I really like dearly, who voted in another way than I did,” he added, “however we each are capable of worship collectively as a result of we acknowledge God is ruler over all.”
Others, nonetheless, cautioned that some Christians have grow to be too accepting of unbiblical conduct.
“It appears our ‘something goes’ perception has been adopted by many within the church,” stated Natalie Clark, 58, a member of the Edmond Church of Christ in Oklahoma. “I’m conscious of individuals asking questions and residing in methods which might be a lot too much like Pilate’s scoffing ‘What’s fact?’ fairly than being prepared to undergo and dwell out God’s absolute fact.”
In the end, a lot of the Trump voters who responded to the Chronicle survey say they didn’t forged their ballots for a person who they consider personally espouses Christian values.
Fairly, they consider Trump will advance insurance policies and diplomatic relations that may convey peace, prosperity and biblical morality again to America.
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“I’m in no way a Trump fan,” Davison stated. “He’s the face and chief of the social gathering with whom my beliefs and values align extra intently. I vote for a platform greater than an individual.”
Alena Jo Gleason, an 83-year-old member of the Deer Creek Church of Christ in Edmond, Okla., believes Scripture guided her to vote for Trump because the lesser evil. However she famous that God is the one in management.
“Our solely job is to obey him (God) and let others know of his Phrase, by no means our opinion,” she stated. “We’re to go about doing what we are able to for the very best of all of the world the place we dwell. Which means we’re truthful, sincere, trusted and unwavering when others fail to grasp.”
President-elect Donald Trump shall be inaugurated to a second four-year time period in workplace on Jan. 21, 2025.
CALVIN COCKRELL is the media editor for The Christian Chronicle and serves because the younger adults minister for the North Tuscaloosa Church of Christ in Alabama. Attain him at [email protected].
