Politico questions Trump's 'messianic rhetoric,' wonders if he sees himself as God

A Politico writer said President Donald Trump is utilizing "messianic rhetoric" and questioned if the 47th president thinks he’s similar God. 

"Trump’s outlook has shifted successful essence from worldly happens and thing overmuch matters to thing happened and it couldn’t substance more," the Friday piece authored by Michael Kruse, a elder unit writer astatine Politico and Politico Magazine, said. "His rhetoric has gone from borderline nihilistic to messianic." 

The portion gave examples of Trump invoking God, particularly pursuing the July 13, 2024, assassination attempt connected Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania. 

INSIDE DONALD TRUMP’S RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD, IN HIS OWN WORDS: 'I WAS SAVED'

Politico said President Donald Trump is utilizing "messianic rhetoric" and questioned if the 47th president thinks he’s God. 

During his November triumph code astatine Mar-a-Lago, Trump said, "God spared my beingness for a reason," and during his inaugural code astatine the Capitol successful January, helium said that helium "was saved by God to marque America large again." 

"For a portion now, a roster of spiritual believers and leaders, grateful for the governmental victories Trump has bestowed successful speech for their votes, person suggested and sometimes outright said that Trump is ‘chosen,’ or ‘anointed,’ oregon a ‘savior,’ or ‘the 2nd coming’ or ‘the Christ for this age,’" Kruse wrote. "Now, though, Trump does it, too."

The header asked, "Does Trump Actually Think He’s God?"

The portion besides mentioned Trump joking that helium would like to beryllium pope, arsenic good arsenic the AI depiction of himself arsenic pope that helium posted connected societal media that was besides shared by the White House. 

"It’s worthy asking. Does Trump… deliberation he’s God," Kruse asked. "OK, helium astir surely doesn’t deliberation he’s God — but does helium deliberation he’s… God-like? Divinely sanctioned oregon inspired oregon empowered? Does helium deliberation he’s someway imbued with immoderate special, ineffable intent for immoderate special, ineffable reason? Or did helium conscionable spot and prehend an accidental to stamp his world-upending docket with the eventual justification — a mandate from God?" 

Kruse said Alan Marcus, a erstwhile Trump advisor and publicist, told him that helium has "no crushed to uncertainty that helium would… similar to judge helium was saved by a ultimate being due to the fact that helium himself is peculiar alternatively than the would-be assassin was a lousy changeable oregon helium got lucky."

TRUMP SAYS LIFE WAS SPARED TO 'RESTORE AMERICA TO GREATNESS' DURING VICTORY SPEECH

Marie Griffith, the manager of the John C. Danforth Center connected Religion and Politics astatine Washington University successful St. Louis, told Kruse that she thinks Trump sees himself arsenic a "chosen one." 

"Perhaps opportunism and genuine content successful his ain chosenness aren’t mutually exclusive," Griffith said. "But whether helium genuinely believes it oregon not, it is plainly successful his involvement to support talking arsenic if everything helium does is sanctioned by God," she said. "And I deliberation conscionable looking astatine the rhetoric, you person to wonderment if Butler truly shook him up and helium thought, ‘Maybe they are right. Maybe I truly americium the ‘chosen one.’"

Stephen Mansfield, writer of "Choosing Donald Trump: God, Anger, Hope, and Why Christian Conservatives Supported Him," told Kruse that helium thinks Trump believes helium is simply a "tool of God."

Molly Worthen, a past prof astatine the University of North Carolina who specifically focuses connected past and religion, told Kruse that Trump is simply a "nihilist for whom the lone root of meaning is the amassing of idiosyncratic power, turning his volition into personal, political, fiscal and territorial domination." She added, "That’s wholly compatible with a messiah complex." 

She added that she doesn’t "see the caller crook successful his connection arsenic a deviation from past patterns, but the fuller realization of those patterns."

Kruse's portion besides highlighted a meme Trump posted connected his TruthSocial relationship connected Wednesday nighttime that depicts Trump walking down a acheronian thoroughfare with the words, "He’s connected a ngo from God, thing tin halt what is coming." 

Kruse said helium asked White House communications manager Steven Cheung successful a substance connection if the president "literally" believes those words. 

"As radical of faith, we are each connected missions from God," Cheung said. "The president has the biggest ngo — to Make America Great Again and to assistance bring bid crossed the world. And he’s doing conscionable that."

White House communications manager Steven Cheung said Donald Trump is trying  "to assistance bring bid crossed the world." (CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images)

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