Trump and Heaven

I have written repeatedly about cult leader, convicted felon, and failed President Donald Trump's cognitive decline. Anyone who has ever spent any amount of time around a person suffering from senility knows that such individuals have a tendency to get fixated on particular subjects. Trump has a handful of such fixations (the word “groceries," for example), but one that has surfaced more recently is his preoccupation with heaven and, more specifically, whether he is likely to go there. This interest coincides with a number of troubling health indicators for the President. For instance, Trump has repeatedly appeared with the back of his right hand looking as if it has been used for a blood draw or IV insertion. The White House attributed this to bruising as a result of shaking hands. More recently, Trump announced a visit to Walter Reed Medical Center for his "routine yearly checkup," despite having had a similar "annual" checkup in April. Trump has also been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, which has resulted in his ankles being swollen. Whether this explains Trump's sudden interest in heaven can only be speculation. Trump's comments about heaven, and more specifically the likelihood that it will be his ultimate destination, have opened a window into his thinking about religion.

Trump illustrated both his obsession with heaven and his tendency to make questionable statements during this week's posthumous presentation of a Medal of Freedom to Charlie Kirk. Speaking during the ceremony, Trump said, "He’s gonna make heaven. I said I’m not sure I’m gonna make it. But he’s gonna make it." Trump then went on to suggest that he was better at dodging bullets than Kirk, saying "They fired sniper rifles at ICE agents, and me. But I made a turn at a good time. I made a turn at a good time. Charlie couldn't believe it, actually." Trump alternates between attributing his survival to God or to himself. For instance, at his inauguration, Trump said that "my life was saved by God to make America great again". But, on this occasion, Trump suggested that his survival was his own doing.

Recently, while on a flight to Israel, Trump was asked by a reporter whether the ceasefire Trump negotiated between Israel and Hamas would make it easier for him to get into heaven. Trump's response suggested that it would not. "I don’t think there’s anything that’s going to get me into heaven," he said. "I think I’m not heaven bound...I’m not sure I’m going to be able to make heaven." This past August, Trump brought up heaven in relation to the Ukraine-Russia war that he had been trying to end. Appearing on Fox News, Trump said "If I can save 7,000 people a week from being killed, I think that’s pretty– I want to try to get to heaven if possible. I’m hearing that I’m not doing well. I am really at the bottom of the totem pole. But if I can get to heaven, this will be one of the reasons." At that time, Trump's remark captured quite a bit of attention, and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was even asked about it. "I think the President was serious. I think the President wants to get to heaven—as I hope we all do in this room as well," she responded.

Trump, in typical fashion, turned his interest in heaven into a fundraising opportunity, emailing a fundraising request with the subject line, "I want to try and get to Heaven". According to Newsweek, "The solicitation asked supporters to take part in a "24-HOUR TRUMP FUNDRAISING BLITZ" and sought $15 contributions as part of the push." Trump merged political and religious messages, suggesting that financial contributions would assist him in making America great and that, in turn, would enhance his chances of getting into heaven.

Another explanation for Trump's interest in heaven could be his brush with death during an assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania. Speaking with Fox News shortly after that event, Trump said "If I’m good, I’m going to heaven. And if I’m bad, I’m going someplace else." A week after that, Trump returned to the same theme, musing that "If you’re religious, you have, I think, a better feeling toward it. You’re supposed to go to heaven ideally, not hell, but you’re supposed to go to heaven if you’re good."

Today, Will Saletan writes in The Bulwark about this same topic. Saletan makes a number of good points about Trump's view of religion. For instance, "Trump is a narcissist. He’s interested in God only as an endorser, benefactor, or tool in his own career." Saletan goes on to say, "To Trump, everything is about the life of Donald Trump. But there’s a catch in that worldview, and it’s making him anxious: The life of Donald Trump will end." Saletan also provides an explanation for Trump's concerns about not getting to heaven. Trump views the afterlife as he views most things, as an investment. He envisions a sort of celestial ledger being kept, with good deeds in one column and bad deeds in the other. Trump seems to be concerned that his good deeds column is coming up short. As Saletan quotes Trump as saying:

People of faith, there’s a feeling, they want to be good. You know, they get punished if they’re not good, right? If you don’t think about that—if you’re not a believer, and you believe you go nowhere—what’s the reason to be good, really? There has to be some kind of a report card up there someplace. You know, like, “Let’s go to heaven. Let’s get into heaven.”

Now, Trump seems to be trying to earn his way into heaven, and he sees stopping wars as his primary means of achieving that goal. As Saletan suggests, if this will encourage Trump to be a better person, embrace the suggestion. "If the prospect of that reward can motivate him to do his best, or at least limit his worst, let’s go with it. Heaven help us."

Standing in the way of Trump goal of earning his way into heaven is his lack of knowledge about religion, specifically Christianity. As Trump and his family amass massive amounts of wealth, primarily through questionable cryptocurrency schemes, Trump should consider Matthew 19:24, which says, "Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God." Trump is probably going to be disappointed when he shows up at the pearly gates and finds himself standing next to a camel trying to squeeze through the eye of a needle. Although, given Trump's recent pessimism, maybe it won't be much of a surprise.