President Donald Trump might use evangelicals for photo opportunities and as an attempt to gain points with religious voters, but behind their backs, it’s another story, according to a recent report.
Earlier this month I’d written about the president’s habit of mocking [1] his evangelical “advisors,” something that Trump’s former attorney, Michael Cohen revealed in his book Disloyal: A Memoir. [2] Now, a report by The Atlantic [3] sheds more light on Trump’s derision towards the faithful, Mediaite [4] reports. The report reveals Trump only cozies up to right-wing evangelicals because he sees them as a special interest group, while in the meantime he sneers at them when their backs are turned. Aside from that, the article also notes Trump is decidedly not religious (which those of us who can see through Trump already knew.)
“To those who have known and worked with Trump closely, the notion that he might have a secret spiritual side is laughable,” notes Atlantic staff writer McKay Coppins. [5] ‘I always assumed he was an atheist,’ Barbara Res, a former executive at the Trump Organization told me. ‘He’s not a religious guy,’ A.J. Delgado, who worked on his 2016 campaign, told me. ‘Whenever I see a picture of him standing in a group of pastors, all of their hands on him, I see a thought bubble [with] the words ‘What suckers,’ Mary Trump, the president’s niece told me.”
Coppins largely references Cohen’s book, especially one anecdote about a time when Trump welcomed Cohen into his office and asked him if he’d heard about the “scam” involving megachurch pastor Creflo Dollar whom Trump was acquainted with. At the time Dollar was asking his congregation for $60 million so he could purchase [6] a private plane.
“They’re all hustlers,” Trump told his now-former personal attorney.
At one point in his book, Cohen noted that before winning the presidency, Trump held a meeting at Trump tower with well-connected evangelical leaders, who laid their hands on him in prayer. After they left, Trump allegedly said: [7]
“Can you believe that bullsh*t? Can you believe people believe that bullsh*t?”
The Trump prayer circle just now at Darrell Scott's church. pic.twitter.com/G7RVpeEfoQ [8]
— Rebecca Sinderbrand (@sinderbrand) September 21, 2016 [9]
What we really have here is a prime example of the hustler-in-chief hustling the hustlers. A morally bankrupt man appealing to people who make greed seem like an Olympic event.