https://www.msnbc.com/the-reidout/reidout-blog/god-made-trump-video-christian-nationalism-masculinity-rcna173945?icid=nextpost_top
Trump reshares a video that portrays him as God’s gift to Earth
A video Trump posted on social media — “God Made Trump” — shows how the conservative movement promotes toxic and arcane ideas of masculinity to woo Christian voters.
Oct. 4, 2024, 6:00 AM EDT
By Ja'han Jones
This post is the fifth in “MAGA and Masculinity in 2024,” a series that examines the societal fallout from right-wing hypermasculinity — and the people fighting its toxic messaging by positively redefining what it means to be a man.
“I need somebody with arms strong enough to wrestle the deep state and yet gentle enough to deliver his own grandchild.”
That creepy line comes from a video called “God Made Trump,” which Donald Trump has shared in the past and did so again Wednesday. It’s essentially an ad that portrays the Republican presidential nominee as God’s gift to Earth.
As Phoebe Jones wrote for California’s Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey earlier this year, the video — which plays on Paul Harvey’s “So God Made a Farmer” speech — shows how Trump and the Christian nationalist movement he leads are steeped in toxic notions of masculinity:
"While Harvey depicts the farmer as a humble caretaker of essential land, and as a quintessential neighbor and family figure, “God Made Trump” depicts Trump as a dominating messianic figure divinely chosen to “fight the Marxists” and “strong enough to wrestle the deep state.” The narrator compares Trump to a shepherd and the American people to a “flock” whom Trump has come to earth to defend by divine ordination. Comparisons of Trump to a messiah who exemplifies hegemonic masculinity are not new, but this video is a recent high-profile and stark example of this comparison being used to get him re-elected."
At one point, the ad literally says God needed a man who cares for the flock, as if to reiterate God’s purported preference. Trump has leaned into this kind of messianic masculinity with some of his recent rhetoric.
And evidence suggests that all of this is likely to appeal to Trump’s base, given the conservative movement’s evangelical beliefs and arcane ideas of manhood and masculinity. A Public Religion Research Institute poll from September, examining the connection between authoritarianism and Christian nationalism in the U.S., found that nearly 7 in 10 Republicans think society has become too soft or feminine.
The poll also found Christian nationalist “adherents” or “sympathizers” were more likely than others to agree with these statements:
- “In a truly Christian family, the husband is the head of the household and his wife submits to his leadership.”
- “Society is better off when men and women stick to the jobs and tasks they are naturally suited for.”
- “The truest vocation that any woman can attain in this life is to be a wife and mother.”
Today’s fiercely Christian conservative movement in the U.S. has become a hypermasculine cult of personality with Trump at the helm. He has permitted Christian men to cloak their desires for domination and power in religiosity — and is even selling Trump-branded Bibles.
And men in this movement have made hay with their shamelessness, openly promoting misogynistic policies like bans on abortion and trying to end no-fault divorces (along with discouraging abused women from divorcing their partners).
This hypermasculinization of the American church has coincided with a perhaps predictable trend. As The New York Times reported last week:
"For the first time in modern American history, young men are now more religious than their female peers. They attend services more often and are more likely to identify as religious."
My suspicion is that this is a byproduct of MAGA masculinity pervading American Christianity — and crowding out young women who, given the choice, don’t want to suffer underneath it.
(And for those of you with the strongest of stomachs, I present to you the video mentioned in the article... "God Made Trump". -- Suzi)
https://x.com/TrumpDailyPosts/status/1841624767918379071
@Suzianne saidGood grief!
https://www.msnbc.com/the-reidout/reidout-blog/god-made-trump-video-christian-nationalism-masculinity-rcna173945?icid=nextpost_top
Trump reshares a video that portrays him as God’s gift to Earth
A video Trump posted on social media — “God Made Trump” — shows how the conservative movement promotes toxic and arcane ideas of masculinity to woo Christian voters.
...[text shortened]... he article... "God Made Trump". -- Suzi)
https://x.com/TrumpDailyPosts/status/1841624767918379071
Haha
Whatever is the world coming to!
Dear Suzi,
I grew up in the hippie time, the 1960s. San Fran, the Haight-Ashbury, watching MLK Jr. on tv, saw the Grateful Dead live at the Filmore West, liberation, freedom from oppression, equal rights for Blacks, gays, women, the whole 9 yards. Re-writing gender roles was always part of that playbook. Obviously, this was never going to be easy, especially for people locked into the Pauline-conception of the perfect family. "Equal pay for equal work" was just the beginning, and we haven't even achieved that small part of it, not across the board anyway. Whatever progress civilization has made in the last 500 years--they weren't called The Dark Ages for nothing--has been due, in very large part, to the education and consequent advancement of women. Mind you, a lot of scientific research has gone on in the last 500 years, mostly carried out by men, but that is not what I call civilization--that's merely been turned into tech-toys: orbital telescopes and cell phones are not civilization. Want to see what Dark Ages look like? Look at Afghanistan since the Taliban rule there (again): women are no longer allowed to go to university, girls are no longer allowed to learn anything in school except the Koran, and then only up to the 6th grade. Afghanistan is lock-step marching right back to the year 1100, and men in turbans and beards are the ones enforcing it. 'Protecting women' they call it. Well, that's essentially what Evangelicals want for America, too, and they aren't even ashamed of it. Snap out of it, America ! if you go down this road, you will soon be just like Afghanistan, only with orbital telescopes and cell phones.
My two cents.
moon
@shavixmir saidI just don't see how anyone could make this video about Trump, when there are people struggling and hungry in America. Especially Christians, I mean real Christians, not the fluffed up "Christians" you see going to church on Sunday with their kids in tow. Christians are tasked with being the Good Samaritan, helping the poor, helping the homeless, not grandstanding, not lying, not grabbing all they can get for themselves.
Good grief!
Haha
Whatever is the world coming to!
Trump is nothing but a con man, he's rich because his dad was rich, and he's used publicity to further himself, and he's certainly not Christian. I don't know anyone he's actually helped, and yet the uneducated, the people living in squalor in economically depressed areas all call him their savior. He hasn't done squat for any of them, but they still support him all the way to the White House. It's ridiculous.
@Suzianne saidSomething seems to have went fundamentally wrong.
I just don't see how anyone could make this video about Trump, when there are people struggling and hungry in America. Especially Christians, I mean real Christians, not the fluffed up "Christians" you see going to church on Sunday with their kids in tow. Christians are tasked with being the Good Samaritan, helping the poor, helping the homeless, not grandstanding, not lyi ...[text shortened]... squat for any of them, but they still support him all the way to the White House. It's ridiculous.
All trump’s policies were aimed at tac relief for the rich. The man is obviously constantly lying. He’s not a Christian and he only thinks of himself.
How can anybody vote for something like that? What are they actually scared of?
@moonbus saidA few years back, I made the pilgrimage to Haight-Ashbury, being the hippie-at-heart that I am, and I'll just say that the counter-culture that existed there is gone. In its place, there is an under-culture that just wants to sell you trinkets of that by-gone era. I actually dressed the part, too. I bought the bell bottom jeans, the puffy flowered shirts, the fringey vest, the John Lennon sunglasses, the headbands, the whole works. You should have seen the stares I got. I was just born too late, I guess. But I take heart that maybe this is the time for real change. I think it is too bad that we have to re-fight the fights for equal rights, but I hope we can get past the Trump-aberration and get back to what is really important and actually really improve things for everyone, instead of just giving them lip-service.
Dear Suzi,
I grew up in the hippie time, the 1960s. San Fran, the Haight-Ashbury, watching MLK Jr. on tv, saw the Grateful Dead live at the Filmore West, liberation, freedom from oppression, equal rights for Blacks, gays, women, the whole 9 yards. Re-writing gender roles was always part of that playbook. Obviously, this was never going to be easy, especially for people loc ...[text shortened]... soon be just like Afghanistan, only with orbital telescopes and cell phones.
My two cents.
moon
@Suzianne saidWell, don't expect any support from Pope Francis. He just got back from a visit to Belgium, where he made a complete troglodyte of himself:
A few years back, I made the pilgrimage to Haight-Ashbury, being the hippie-at-heart that I am, and I'll just say that the counter-culture that existed there is gone. In its place, there is an under-culture that just wants to sell you trinkets of that by-gone era. I actually dressed the part, too. I bought the bell bottom jeans, the puffy flowered shirts, the fringey vest ...[text shortened]... important and actually really improve things for everyone, instead of just giving them lip-service.
https://apnews.com/article/pope-francis-belgium-abuse-catholic-church-6d3a0d5baed8440193741c83de427b27
@shavixmir saidUnfortunately, I think what they are afraid of is the whole thing whites have been afraid of for a long, long time. It is based in this whole scary thing for whites called the Great Replacement Theory, They think all the minorities are going to rise up and replace them on top of the dung heap. This has moved America right back to the era of the KKK. I mean it is not as blatant, but they wouldn't mind making it more blatant. We saw it in the BLM movement. Just as that was getting real traction, they moved in with the infantry and did the old scorched earth thing, burning down their own cities and blaming it on the blacks. Back to the old tired trope of White Supremacy. We see echoes of that here in our own Debates Forum.
Something seems to have went fundamentally wrong.
All trump’s policies were aimed at tac relief for the rich. The man is obviously constantly lying. He’s not a Christian and he only thinks of himself.
How can anybody vote for something like that? What are they actually scared of?
@moonbus saidYeah, at this point, I'm not holding out any hope for the Catholic Church.
Well, don't expect any support from Pope Francis. He just got back from a visit to Belgium, where he made a complete troglodyte of himself:
https://apnews.com/article/pope-francis-belgium-abuse-catholic-church-6d3a0d5baed8440193741c83de427b27
@Suzianne saidStill, there are women who apparently want the 'security' of the traditional role models. I don't object to this. What I object to is trying to legislate the more liberated people out of public life, out of public office, and back into the kitchen (or the corset).
Yeah, at this point, I'm not holding out any hope for the Catholic Church.
https://people.com/what-is-a-tradwife-8684651
@thedogandthecello saidTypical Trumpublicanism.
Plenty of beta makes out there for you guys to share.
They can't express themselves out of a paper bag.
What does your word salad even mean?
Backspace is your friend.
@thedogandthecello saidYou forgot:
@Suzianne
Immigrants have more traditional mindsets than you know about.
Muslims = Men rule
South Americans = Christian family values
It probably won't be whitey making American more traditional.
Male Trumpublicanism = Men Rule + a parody of "Christian family values"
"It probably won't be whitey making American[sic] more traditional."
You digress. The topic is Trump's Toxic Masculinity. It IS "whitey" (especially white males) making America more stupid.
"Traditional" is the past. I say, "Forward, never back." You and white, male Americans (the so-called Alphas, anyway) long for a return to "the thrilling days of yesteryear". Those days are over, thank God, but you and Commissar Trump long to bring them back.
This is just weak. Fearful and afraid.
@moonbus saidToo true.
Still, there are women who apparently want the 'security' of the traditional role models. I don't object to this. What I object to is trying to legislate the more liberated people out of public life, out of public office, and back into the kitchen (or the corset).
https://people.com/what-is-a-tradwife-8684651
The Trumpublican women are the worst.
Talk about voting against your best interests.
I would say to them, "Don't choose for me. You want that, go marry into the Amish. Leave the rest of us out of it."