Neo-Cons Strike at Trump Through ‘Christian’ Networks

Dec. 30, 2019 (EIRNS)—On Dec. 19, the day after the House passed neocon-motivated impeachment articles against President Donald Trump, associated allies lobbed a grenade into the center of the religious fundamentalist movement. An editorial, “Trump Should Be Removed from Office,” appeared on the Christianity Today website, authored by Mark Galli, head of the editorial board. The posting called Trump “profoundly immoral,” because he “attempted to use his political power” against a presidential opponent. The piece generated a firestorm among readers, with 3 million online page views, and literally thousands cancelling and even more subscribing to the publication.

Trump immediately condemned the post, calling the paper “a far left magazine,” adding that it “has been doing poorly in recent years,” and that he “won’t be reading CT again.” The post was also condemned by Franklin Graham, son of Billy Graham, the paper’s founder, who told Fox News his father had “dissociated himself from the magazine years ago,” adding, “My father knew Donald Trump, believed in Donald Trump, and in this last election, he voted for Donald Trump.”

The next day, a letter defending Trump and attacking Christianity Today had been signed by 200 ministers. By Friday, a competing publication, the Christian Post published a defense of Trump, calling out CT’s hypocrisy, saying their “outrage concerning [Trump’s] immorality is extremely selective.” Galli, in the meantime, is walking away from the carnage, set to retire at the end of the year.

The evangelical Christian community has a complicated past, with a strong British-flavored neo-con “defense of Israel” aspect to it. It is more the base of support for Mike Pence than of Donald Trump.