I will not apologize for the fact that this week’s “Crossroads” podcast (CLICK HERE to tune that in) contains lots of questions and few answers.
In a way, the whole “God Made Trump” video ruckus is a house of mirrors full of questions.
Nevertheless, you cannot follow what Americans call “politics” without pondering the role that religious language is playing these days. At the same time, it’s impossible to ignore the role of humor — including brutal satire — in all of this. Put religion and humor together (with a dash of AI) and all hades breaks loose.
The New York Times offered a straight-faced news story about a trend that is a threat to democracy when used by conservatives and, in particular, the MAGA Orange Man Bad team. What about the satire on the other side, which is usually offered by billion-dollar platforms in mainstream media and late-night entertainment? That isn’t relevant. Meanwhile, here’s that double-decker Times headline:
Iowa Pastors Say Video Depicting Trump as Godly Is ‘Very Concerning’
The viral video shows the former president, in starkly religious, almost messianic tones, as the vessel of a higher power sent to save the nation.
The big question here that the Times team never asks: To what degree is the “God Made Trump” video satire or a wink-wink salute to a certain tribe of Trump supporters in some pews? Hold that thought, because asking that question leads to those hall-of-mirrors questions.
This Times piece is all serious all the time. Here is a key byte of that:
The clip’s authors are members of the Dilley Meme Team, an organized collective of video producers who call themselves “Trump’s Online War Machine.” The group’s leader, Brenden Dilley, describes himself as Christian and a man of faith, but says he has never read the Bible and does not attend church. He has said that Mr. Trump has “God-tier genetics” and, in response to outcry over the “God Made Trump” video, he posted a meme depicting Mr. Trump as Moses parting the Red Sea.
Other members of the meme team frequently express religious faith, and one, a musician named Michael Beatty, has recorded several albums of original Christian songs. Multiple passages in “God Made Trump” hew closely to language from the Bible, and they are delivered in a voice that sounds nearly identical to Mr. Harvey’s when he spoke at the 1978 Future Farmers of America convention. That speech was called “So God Made a Farmer.”
OK, at this point it’s time to watch three videos that are crucial to this story — each embedded in this post. Watch the original “So God Made A Farmer” video based on commentary by the late Paul Harvey. Then watch the aforementioned “God Made Trump” video. Then watch the satire of that video, called “God Made a Dictator.”
OK, let’s ask some questions:
* If the Saturday Night Live team created “God Made Trump” and used it as a cold open on a pre-primary broadcast, would the live audience laugh? I believe that SNL-niche television viewers would have laughed, as well, seeing it as brutal satire. I mean, replay that ladies at lunch section.
After all, cultural elites laughed at Paul Harvey, considering him a sticky-sweet sentimental conservative who appealed to knuckle-draggers in the Heartland. Were there satires of Harvey back in the day? You bet.
* Then again, is it possible that the Dilley Meme Team simply worships Trump and this is what they really think is going on in this era of American life? Let’s move forward with some additional questions, based on the assumption that is true.
* If the Dilley squad was being serious, is it possible that secular and culturally liberal members of the Trump team (the folks who behind closed doors laugh at fervent evangelicals) saw the video as so over-the-top that they enjoyed it as de facto satire, a kind of postmodern thing?
* What if members of the Trump team laughed at the video, but also knew that “God Made Trump” would be greeted by an acidic wave of mainstream press coverage and slap-back satires in mainstream mass media and that this would fire up their base? In other words, Team Trump had nothing to lose. This would be another chance to Own The Libs, and that’s that.
You can see some of these tensions in this Guthrie Graves-Fitzsimmons — author of "Just Faith: Reclaiming Progressive Christianity" — commentary at (naturally) MSNBC. The headline: “There's a seed of truth in the 'God Made Trump' ad. But his acolytes don't see it.” Here’s a key part of that sermon:
It’s a bizarre video — even by Trumpian social media standards. …
This new “God Made Trump” video is eerily messianic, calling Trump “a shepherd to mankind.” It’s also laughable, claiming Trump “finish[es] a hard week’s work by attending church on Sunday.” Trump never joined a church in Washington, D.C., and was only observed attending services a handful of times as president.
Out of context, I would have thought the ad was satire. ... The core message of the “God Made Trump” video is true, at least as far as Christian theology is concerned. God made Trump. What’s missing from the video is some key theological context: God made everyone.
God made every political opponent, journalist, American who died in war, and former presidential aide whom Trump has disparaged. God made the Christian supporters of Trump he mocked behind their backs.
That’s true, of course. The content of “God Made Trump” is ridiculous. I lean toward the belief that it is wink-wink satire of some kind. Yes, I am still that #NeverTrump #NeverBiden guy.
Are there people who “worship” Trump and blur important lines in religious faith? Of course there are.
Were there Democrats who “worshipped” candidate Barack Obama and, yes, still “worship” him to one degree or another? You bet. Let’s flash back to this important Politico piece from 2007: “Messianic rhetoric infuses Obama rallies.” A much-quoted sample:
The crowd filled nearly half of the 80,000-seat Williams-Brice Stadium to hear the Illinois senator and talk show host Oprah Winfrey, who campaigned with him over the weekend. …
Obama and Winfrey touched on many of the same themes of change that they had dwelt on in Iowa Saturday. But Sunday’s gathering was sprinkled with women in the hats they’d worn to church, and had a distinctly Christian feel.
“I give all praise and honor to God,” Obama began. “Look at the day the Lord has made.”
Obama’s wife, Michelle, opened the rally with a description of her husband that could, at moments, have been a description of Jesus Christ.
“We need a leader who’s going to touch our souls. Who’s going to make us feel differently about one another. Who’s going to remind us that we are one another’s keepers. …”
Was it rather creepy, in a neo “Matrix” way, to hear people calling Obama “the one,” or even “The One”? Yes, it was. How about Obama as a “light bearer”? That was a rather loaded image.
Yes, conservative Christians mocked — with good cause — much of the Obama-worship rhetoric.
I’ll end with this point: There are now Christians who are very troubled by the Trump-worship memes, even if there is an element of humor there. See this Christian Broadcasting Network report: “'God Made Trump' Video Rubs Some Iowa Evangelicals the Wrong Way.”
Once again, it’s crucial for journalists to understand the degree to which Trump divides cultural and religious conservatives — as opposed to uniting them into a political monolith.
Yes, many of those troubled religious conservatives will vote for Trump with some degree of Own The Libs satisfaction.
Yes, many will vote for him with their teeth clenched, knowing that they have no option on the other side.
Yes, many will vote for third-party candidates, because that is a way to vote with a clear conscience.
There are important news stories in this hall of mirrors. In this case, reporters really need to ask factual questions about the people who made this video and those who chose to use it. Will those people talk to the mainstream press? Alas, the answer is probably “no.” Why not? Click here.
Enjoy the podcast and, please, share it with others. And don’t forget that you can SUBSCRIBE to “Crossroads” at the Apple podcast site. And here is some relevant music (from previous Trump campaign rallies) to take us out.
FIRST IMAGE: Charlie Chaplin house of mirrors .gif at the Tenor.com website