President Donald Trump holds up a Bible outside of a church in Washington, DC in 2020 (Image: Screengrab via C-SPAN / YouTube)
February 19, 2026
ALTERNET
President Donald Trump criticized America’s Olympic freestyle skier Hunter Hess as a “real loser” for criticizing his policies, but according to a prominent Catholic magazine, Hess and other anti-Trump Olympians are acting in the Christian spirit.
“Mr. Trump understands greatness differently from the U.S. athletes,” wrote Patrick Kelly, S.J., a contributor to the Jesuit publication America Magazine and an occasional Vatican consultant. “He has a very hard time admitting that he failed or made a mistake. He told the big lie that his 2020 election loss to Joe Biden was stolen, and he continues to peddle this lie up to the present.”
Trump repeatedly claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him even though Joe Biden’s victory has been repeatedly proved beyond a reasonable doubt. Before entering politics ,Trump accused the Emmy Awards of being rigged when he was snubbed for "The Apprentice." After losing the 2016 Iowa GOP caucuses to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Trump baselessly alleged fraud and demanded a second election. Throughout the 2016 campaign Trump declared he'd only accept the results if he won. After winning the Electoral College but losing the popular vote, Trump falsely blamed millions of illegal ballots, despite never finding evidence of that. In 2020, Trump preemptively undermined mail-in voting, declared victory prematurely on Election Night and falsely claimed votes were being "dumped" against him. In fact Biden won convincingly in both the popular vote (81.3 million to 74.2 million) and the Electoral College (306-232), the latter being the same margin Trump had won by in 2016. Trump nonetheless continues falsely claiming to this day that he won the 2020 election.
“Someone should read to him ‘Lost, Not Stolen,’ a 2022 report by eight conservatives (two former Republican senators, three former federal appellate judges, a former Republican solicitor general, and two Republican election law specialists),” Republican columnist George F. Will recently wrote for The Washington Post. “They examined all 187 counts in the 64 court challenges filed in multiple states by Trump and his supporters. Twenty cases were dismissed before hearings on their merits, 14 were voluntarily dismissed by Trump and his supporters before hearings. Of the 30 that reached hearings on the merits, Trump’s side prevailed in only one, Pennsylvania, involving far too few votes to change the state’s result.”
Kelly, proceeding from the fact that Trump is lying when he says he won the 2020 election, explained that this lie is both sinful and socially harmful.
“It has now become part of the ‘organized lying’ in segments of his administration and among some of his allies,” Kelly wrote. “It was the rationale for the FBI. seizing sensitive voting records from the 2020 election in Fulton County, Ga., recently. If the president was able to admit that he lost to Joe Biden, he might be able to learn something from it and grow as a person and a leader. But the lying keeps him stuck where he is.”
Kelly then quoted the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which says that “since it violates the virtue of truthfulness, a lie does real violence to another. It affects his ability to know, which is a condition of every judgment and decision. It contains the seed of discord and all consequent evils.”
He concluded, “Lying is destructive of society; it undermines trust among people and tears apart the fabric of social relationships (No. 2486).”
Kelly is not alone among prominent Christians to denounce Trump’s policies and actions as un-Christian. Describing Trump’s “might makes right” foreign policy as inconsistent with Christianity, former director of church and society at the World Council of Churches in Geneva Wesley Granberg-Michaelson wrote for the Christian publication Sojourners Magazine that Trump’s approach is in fact “narcissistic grandiosity.” Because Trump unilaterally invaded Venezuela, Granberg-Michaelson worried that he will soon go after Denmark (for Greenland), Colombia, Mexico, Cuba, Iran, Nigeria, Syria and other nations he has threatened, as well as sabotage NATO and other world peacekeeping institutions.
"The ‘Donroe Doctrine,’ an egocentric name for reasserting U.S. primacy in Western Hemisphere, won’t geographically limit Trump’s military intervention to the continental neighborhood,” Granberg-Michaelson wrote. In response people of faith should “bear witness” as “our nation is on an unpredictable glide path with no guardrails."
"We should remember the strident biblical resistance to unaccountable power, including the divine warnings about the desire for kings (1 Samuel 8) and placing trust in chariots and horses (Psalm 20:7),” Granberg-Michaelson concluded. “The prophets continually challenged the pretense, pride, and self-serving power of rulers that fomented injustice and violated God’s intentions for the world. Jesus proclaimed a promised reign of God breaking into the world, undermining the false claims of the reigning empire. The power of might was subverted by the power of love."
Former Republican Rep. Joe Walsh of Illinois recently wrote on his Substack that, instead of being Christians, Trump’s supporters act like they are in a cult.
“I thought you wanted him to end wars all over the world,” Walsh wrote. “You said you wanted him to end American entanglement in conflicts and wars around the world. America shouldn’t be involved in these wars, you said. That’s why you’re voting for Trump, you said.” Then, despite Trump’s actions against Denmark, Venezuela and Iran, they still support him.
Walsh concluded, “And you don’t like when people call you a cult, Trump voters? What else are people to think when you voted for Trump to get us the hell out of wars around the world, and instead he gets us involved in wars around the world and starts new wars, and you still sing his praises and support him? What are we to think, MAGA, but that you are a cult?”
'Strident Biblical resistance': Religious leader urges Christians to oppose Trump
Donald Trump outside St. John's Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C. on June 1, 2020 (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead/Flickr)
Christian conservative demolishes MAGA evangelical talking point
First Lady Melania Trump at an evangelical White House dinner on August 27, 2018 (Official White House Photo by Andrea Hanks/Flickr)
Donald Trump outside St. John's Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C. on June 1, 2020 (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead/Flickr)
February 19, 2026
ALTERNET
A major Christian world leader is urging people of faith everywhere to engage in “strident Biblical resistance” against President Donald Trump’s foreign policy.
"Trump’s worldview was expressed transparently by Stephen Miller, his trusted deputy chief of staff," wrote Sojourners contributing editor Wesley Granberg-Michaelson, former general secretary of the Reformed Church in America and former director of church and society at the World Council of Churches. "After Venezuela, Miller explained that 'strength,' 'force,' and 'power' are the 'iron laws' that govern the world. It’s all a matter of transactional relations, where deals enriching the U.S. are obtained by force."
Arguing that “might makes right” is inconsistent with Christianity, which focuses on helping the poor and powerless, Granberg-Michaelson described Trump’s approach as “narcissistic grandiosity.” He also predicted that, because Trump has already unilaterally invaded Venezuela, the rest of the world should expect similar operations in Mexico, Colombia, Cuba, Nigeria, Iran, Syria and elsewhere. Trump will also undercut NATO and other world peacekeeping institutions.
"The ‘Donroe Doctrine,’ an egocentric name for reasserting U.S. primacy in Western Hemisphere, won’t geographically limit Trump’s military intervention to the continental neighborhood,” Granberg-Michaelson wrote. He then argued that people of faith should “bear witness” to Trump’s un-Christian behavior as “our nation is on an unpredictable glide path with no guardrails."
"We should remember the strident biblical resistance to unaccountable power, including the divine warnings about the desire for kings (1 Samuel 8) and placing trust in chariots and horses (Psalm 20:7),” Granberg-Michaelson wrote. “The prophets continually challenged the pretense, pride, and self-serving power of rulers that fomented injustice and violated God’s intentions for the world. Jesus proclaimed a promised reign of God breaking into the world, undermining the false claims of the reigning empire. The power of might was subverted by the power of love."
Pointing out that democracy bases its theological rationale on institutional and personal accountability, and that these things cannot be reconciled with autocratic power, he argued that “shared systems of mutual constraint are required to protect the common good. But all of that can crumble.”
"We are facing modern expressions of ancient idolatry,” Granberg-Michaelson concluded. “Always, in such times, people of God are called first to faithfulness. Proclaiming ‘Jesus is Lord’ had direct political, as well as personal, meaning for those first called Christians. It does as well for us in our day. For if everything is Caesar’s, nothing is God’s."
Other religious people are also speaking out against Trump. Never Trump conservative David French, writing for The New York Times, warned that Trump-supporting Christians are abandoning their faith’s core tenet by eschewing empathy.
"Now, let's talk about empathy," French wrote. "A year ago this month, I wrote a newsletter warning about a new trend on the MAGA Christian Right. Christian theologians and influencers had begun warning about the 'sin of empathy' or 'toxic empathy.' In books, essays, podcasts and speeches, prominent Christian influencers, ministers and theologians sounded the alarm that secular progressives were leading Christians astray by appealing to their emotions at the expense of their reason."
Yet the MAGA anti-empathy argument is not reasonable, as French pointed out, but rather an excuse to ignore how Trump’s actions cannot be made logically consistent with Christian teachings.
"Evangelicals are desperate to rationalize their support for a man who gratuitously and intentionally inflicts unnecessary suffering on his opponents," French wrote. "That's exactly how empathy becomes a sin….. Many in MAGA decided that cruelty was a virtue, decency a vice, and — worst of all — that empathy was a sin. Now, we live in the harsh new world they made."
Meanwhile Andrew Egger of The Bulwark, another conservative publication, bashed Trump for not believing he could do whatever he wanted morally because of his widespread support among the Christian right.
"He sees himself as Christianity’s Punisher, the guy who will blacken his own soul to do what must be done to protect the righteous," Egger wrote.
A major Christian world leader is urging people of faith everywhere to engage in “strident Biblical resistance” against President Donald Trump’s foreign policy.
"Trump’s worldview was expressed transparently by Stephen Miller, his trusted deputy chief of staff," wrote Sojourners contributing editor Wesley Granberg-Michaelson, former general secretary of the Reformed Church in America and former director of church and society at the World Council of Churches. "After Venezuela, Miller explained that 'strength,' 'force,' and 'power' are the 'iron laws' that govern the world. It’s all a matter of transactional relations, where deals enriching the U.S. are obtained by force."
Arguing that “might makes right” is inconsistent with Christianity, which focuses on helping the poor and powerless, Granberg-Michaelson described Trump’s approach as “narcissistic grandiosity.” He also predicted that, because Trump has already unilaterally invaded Venezuela, the rest of the world should expect similar operations in Mexico, Colombia, Cuba, Nigeria, Iran, Syria and elsewhere. Trump will also undercut NATO and other world peacekeeping institutions.
"The ‘Donroe Doctrine,’ an egocentric name for reasserting U.S. primacy in Western Hemisphere, won’t geographically limit Trump’s military intervention to the continental neighborhood,” Granberg-Michaelson wrote. He then argued that people of faith should “bear witness” to Trump’s un-Christian behavior as “our nation is on an unpredictable glide path with no guardrails."
"We should remember the strident biblical resistance to unaccountable power, including the divine warnings about the desire for kings (1 Samuel 8) and placing trust in chariots and horses (Psalm 20:7),” Granberg-Michaelson wrote. “The prophets continually challenged the pretense, pride, and self-serving power of rulers that fomented injustice and violated God’s intentions for the world. Jesus proclaimed a promised reign of God breaking into the world, undermining the false claims of the reigning empire. The power of might was subverted by the power of love."
Pointing out that democracy bases its theological rationale on institutional and personal accountability, and that these things cannot be reconciled with autocratic power, he argued that “shared systems of mutual constraint are required to protect the common good. But all of that can crumble.”
"We are facing modern expressions of ancient idolatry,” Granberg-Michaelson concluded. “Always, in such times, people of God are called first to faithfulness. Proclaiming ‘Jesus is Lord’ had direct political, as well as personal, meaning for those first called Christians. It does as well for us in our day. For if everything is Caesar’s, nothing is God’s."
Other religious people are also speaking out against Trump. Never Trump conservative David French, writing for The New York Times, warned that Trump-supporting Christians are abandoning their faith’s core tenet by eschewing empathy.
"Now, let's talk about empathy," French wrote. "A year ago this month, I wrote a newsletter warning about a new trend on the MAGA Christian Right. Christian theologians and influencers had begun warning about the 'sin of empathy' or 'toxic empathy.' In books, essays, podcasts and speeches, prominent Christian influencers, ministers and theologians sounded the alarm that secular progressives were leading Christians astray by appealing to their emotions at the expense of their reason."
Yet the MAGA anti-empathy argument is not reasonable, as French pointed out, but rather an excuse to ignore how Trump’s actions cannot be made logically consistent with Christian teachings.
"Evangelicals are desperate to rationalize their support for a man who gratuitously and intentionally inflicts unnecessary suffering on his opponents," French wrote. "That's exactly how empathy becomes a sin….. Many in MAGA decided that cruelty was a virtue, decency a vice, and — worst of all — that empathy was a sin. Now, we live in the harsh new world they made."
Meanwhile Andrew Egger of The Bulwark, another conservative publication, bashed Trump for not believing he could do whatever he wanted morally because of his widespread support among the Christian right.
"He sees himself as Christianity’s Punisher, the guy who will blacken his own soul to do what must be done to protect the righteous," Egger wrote.
Christian conservative demolishes MAGA evangelical talking point
First Lady Melania Trump at an evangelical White House dinner on August 27, 2018 (Official White House Photo by Andrea Hanks/Flickr)
February 19, 2026
ALTERNET
In the past, the word "empathy" was hardly controversial among conservatives. President Ronald Reagan and Sen. Barry Goldwater (R-Arizona) never used "empathy" as an insult. But in recent years, many far-right MAGA Republicans and evangelical Christian nationalists are attacking "empathy" as a major weakness — and when they accuse conservative or libertarian of showing "empathy," it is meant as an insult.
Never Trump conservative David French, in a biting February 19 column for the New York Times, cites Christian nationalists' anti-empathy arguments as a prime example of how twisted MAGA's view of Christianity is.
"Now, let's talk about empathy," French writes. "A year ago this month, I wrote a newsletter warning about a new trend on the MAGA Christian Right. Christian theologians and influencers had begun warning about the 'sin of empathy' or 'toxic empathy.' In books, essays, podcasts and speeches, prominent Christian influencers, ministers and theologians sounded the alarm that secular progressives were leading Christians astray by appealing to their emotions at the expense of their reason."
The conservative columnist continues, "The steel man version of their case goes like this: Progressives have turned Christians' soft hearts against hard truths. Progressives have persuaded all too many Christians that the suffering of, say, undocumented immigrants or women facing unwanted pregnancies should override their concerns about the economic and social costs of large-scale immigration, or their compassion for victims of crimes committed by immigrants, or their concerns about the plight of the unborn child."
But MAGA anti-empathy argument, French stresses, isn't promoting strength — it's promoting "cruelty" while demeaning a "vital human virtue."
"Given the sharp differences between Trump and every other Republican president of the modern era…. evangelicals are desperate to rationalize their support for a man who gratuitously and intentionally inflicts unnecessary suffering on his opponents," French laments. "That's exactly how empathy becomes a sin….. Many in MAGA decided that cruelty was a virtue, decency a vice, and — worst of all — that empathy was a sin. Now, we live in the harsh new world they made."
In the past, the word "empathy" was hardly controversial among conservatives. President Ronald Reagan and Sen. Barry Goldwater (R-Arizona) never used "empathy" as an insult. But in recent years, many far-right MAGA Republicans and evangelical Christian nationalists are attacking "empathy" as a major weakness — and when they accuse conservative or libertarian of showing "empathy," it is meant as an insult.
Never Trump conservative David French, in a biting February 19 column for the New York Times, cites Christian nationalists' anti-empathy arguments as a prime example of how twisted MAGA's view of Christianity is.
"Now, let's talk about empathy," French writes. "A year ago this month, I wrote a newsletter warning about a new trend on the MAGA Christian Right. Christian theologians and influencers had begun warning about the 'sin of empathy' or 'toxic empathy.' In books, essays, podcasts and speeches, prominent Christian influencers, ministers and theologians sounded the alarm that secular progressives were leading Christians astray by appealing to their emotions at the expense of their reason."
The conservative columnist continues, "The steel man version of their case goes like this: Progressives have turned Christians' soft hearts against hard truths. Progressives have persuaded all too many Christians that the suffering of, say, undocumented immigrants or women facing unwanted pregnancies should override their concerns about the economic and social costs of large-scale immigration, or their compassion for victims of crimes committed by immigrants, or their concerns about the plight of the unborn child."
But MAGA anti-empathy argument, French stresses, isn't promoting strength — it's promoting "cruelty" while demeaning a "vital human virtue."
"Given the sharp differences between Trump and every other Republican president of the modern era…. evangelicals are desperate to rationalize their support for a man who gratuitously and intentionally inflicts unnecessary suffering on his opponents," French laments. "That's exactly how empathy becomes a sin….. Many in MAGA decided that cruelty was a virtue, decency a vice, and — worst of all — that empathy was a sin. Now, we live in the harsh new world they made."
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