3 Ways Trump Missed The Point At The National Prayer Breakfast

Yesterday Donald Trump hosted his first White House National Prayer Breakfast. The President used the unique gathering of leaders of the nation's many rich faith traditions to praise his own success on The Apprentice and to mock the waning ratings of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Trump made some other more relevant and occasionally coherent, thoughtful points, but people of faith should still be incredibly wary of Trump's attitude to religion in society. Here are three things that Trump got wrong in his speech, and why it matters.

He got distracted by himself

Following the speech social media made much of Trump's comments about TV ratings, which though not central to his speech, certainly overshadowed it. Trump said he'd had "tremendous success" with The Apprentice. "And when I ran for president, I had to leave the show," he continued. "That's when I knew for sure that I was doing it. And they hired a big, big movie star, Arnold Schwarzenegger, to take my place. And we know how that turned out.

"The ratings went down the tubes. It's been a total disaster... And I want to just pray for Arnold if we can, for those ratings, OK?"

White House press secretary Sean Spicer today defended the remarks as "lighthearted", which perhaps they were, but many will simply see it as a sign of Trump's brash lack of restraint, and his overly-defensive disposition that distracts him from the actual duties of his office. Why does the most powerful man in the world need to obsess about ratings? This is the annual prayer breakfast, and the fact that the only thing Trump implored people to pray for was Arnold Schwarzenegger's ratings will be taken by many as a sign of the crass attitude the president has towards genuine faith. It also demonstrates a deeper, scarier character flaw: Trump's insecurity and obsession with his own success.

Krish Kandiah compared Trump's remarks to those made at a previous prayer breakfast:

While Preident Obama spoke of how he needed God's grace, Trump seems more confident in his capacities: "The world is in trouble, but we're going to straighten it out. OK? That's what I do. I fix things." said President Trump. The breakfast should not be a contest of piety, but it is a chance for the President to share what he cares about. What does Donald Trump believe in?

He ignored a key faith initiative

The President's other error was ignoring a key faith-based initiative of the White House. At Barack Obama's first Prayer Breakfast, the President took the opportunity to announce his plans for the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighbourhood Partnerships, a key faith-based initiative begun by President George W Bush. The department worked within the White House, developing relationships with faith groups, engaging on issues such as adoption, abortion, community cohesion and anti-human trafficking efforts. The office made considerable successes during the Obama administration, and even only at the symbolic level represented an effort to see the positive value that faith groups have in society. However, President Trump made no reference to the office at all. At a time of increasing division and religious tension in particular, the relevance of an office that promotes positive dialogue with faith communities could hardly be more clear.

He emphasised something on the fringe of Christian concerns 

Instead, Trump emphasised his commitment to religious freedom, declaring he would "get rid of and totally destroy the Johnson Amendment and allow our representatives of faith to speak freely and without fear of retribution." The amendment is a complex one, and Trump's promise is not insignificant, but it is odd.

Firstly, when most Christians think of 'religious freedom', they are probably thinking about freedom of conscience in the workplace and the public sphere, not the freedom of their pastor to declare political allegiances. Trump's move implies religious groups are primarily defined by narrow self-interest, only concerned with protecting their own rights, rather than for example, promoting the common good. Every time Trump promises 'power' or 'protection' to religious groups, it only exacerbates the doubts that many secular people may have about a positive, constructive role for religion in society.

Some will take Trump's promise as a sign that he doesn't really understand religious communities and their interests. Trump is a dealmaker who understand the world in zero-sum terms, where "winning" takes absolute priority. That's not a game religious groups, and certainly not Christians, should ever be interested in. 

Trump did make some surprisingly heartfelt comments in his speech. They may have been genuine, though Trump's professions of piety are heard to take seriously when the man previously boasted that he doesn't need to seek forgiveness from God for anything.

With his executive orders on issues like abortion, conservative Supreme Court nominations, and potentially sweeping legislation on religious freedom (the kind that many really are concerned about), Trump may be seen as granting favours to religious conservatives, and securing their support. Trump previously gained 80 per cent of the vote of white evangelicals, so his ability to court Christians shouldn't be undermined. But does Trump offer support that will promote the common good, or will it only further religious tensions and resentment in society?

If religious groups continue to support Trump while he promotes torture and issues immigration bans on religious minorities, then their credibility and value in society may be seriously questioned, and they will ultimately suffer.

Some evangelicals made their stance against Trump quite clear yesterday, and won't have been won over by his rhetoric. Trump said he hopes to host seven more prayer breakfasts. If he continues to be preoccupied by TV ratings while refugees starve, he might not be so lucky. 

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