If there is any doubt that the religious right is encouraging its followers to throw in with Donald Trump, those doubts should have been put to rest on Tuesday. One of the nation’s most prominent culture warriors told his followers that if they don’t vote for Trump, they will have to answer to God for it. Namely, John Hagee.
On Tuesday’s edition of his ministry’s daily podcast, “Hagee Hotline,” the San Antonio Ayatollah gave a ringing endorsement of Trump. People for the American Way’s Right Wing Watch got a clip.
Hagee reminded his followers that Martin Niemöller–actually, Dietrich Bonhoeffer–said that “to see evil and not call it evil is evil,” and that “God will not hold us harmless” in such circumstances. He declared that he intended to vote for the person who has promised to “make the U. S. military great again” after eight years in which it has been reduced “to a World War II-level.” His vote will be for “the party that solves the immigration problem” rather than the one that caused it, and for the party that “brings jobs back from China.” He also let it be known that he would not vote for “the party that has betrayed Israel.”
Hagee conceded that “no candidate is perfect,” but he wants a president “who has the courage to put America first.” He never mentioned any names, but made it clear that “if you can read a newspaper,” you’d know who has his vote–the Donald.
Before you say that this is just Hagee’s opinion, you have to remember that his word carries a lot of weight with his followers, particularly those who attend his Cornerstone Church in San Antonio. In these circles, an endorsement like this is tantamount to an ex cathedra declaration–vote for Trump, or you’ll have to answer to God when you get to heaven.
This is the clearest sign yet that the religious right is about to make its peace with Trump. After all, Hagee is one of the loudest of the nation’s unreconstructed culture warriors. This is a guy who claimed Ebola was divine punishment for Obama’s support of a two-state solution in Palestine, and thinks “counterfeit Christianity” is this country’s biggest threat.
Hagee, you’ll recall, was one of the earliest religious right leaders to endorse John McCain in 2008. But that was before Bruce Wilson of Talk2Action discovered that in 2005, Hagee told his flock that Hitler was a divine agent, or “hunter,” sent by God to chase Jews toward Palestine. Watch here.
You can also listen to an audio clip here.
In this sermon, Hagee claimed that the Nazis were doing “God’s work” by chasing the Jews back to the Land of Israel. He also claimed that Jews brought anti-Semitism on themselves by years of worshiping idols. Within a week of this clip coming to light, McCain was forced to disavow Hagee’s endorsement.
Now comes the $64,000 question–will Trump show some decency for once and reject Hagee’s support?
