Devotees of Donald Trump have long proclaimed him as a divine choice to save the United States, but this belief has intensified after the Republican candidate narrowly survived an assassination attempt.
At the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, party members credited divine intervention for saving Trump after he was injured in a shooting at his Pennsylvania rally. Images of Trump, bloodied but defiant, have only strengthened his supporters’ admiration.
“Evil came for the man we admire and love so much,” said Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. “I thank God that his hand was on President Trump.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson called Trump’s escape with a slight ear wound “a miraculous thing,” while Senator Marco Rubio tweeted that “God protected Trump.”
Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, currently serving a prison sentence, remarked, “Trump wears the Armor of God.”
Despite one rally-goer dying and two others being seriously wounded, Trump’s followers remain undeterred. Trump’s previous distaste for religion and his controversial past seem forgotten as he embraces the divine protection narrative.
Trump, who now identifies as a “non-denominational Christian,” has fueled this belief, writing on Truth Social that “God alone prevented the unthinkable from happening.”
For Natasha Lindstaedt, a political scientist at the University of Essex, this episode underscores the personality cult Trump and his inner circle have cultivated.
Personalist leaders, whether dictators or elected officials, aim to inspire blind obedience and mystify their followers with superhuman qualities, Lindstaedt explained.
Trump’s depiction as America’s sole savior is elevated to Biblical proportions, with memes showing Jesus Christ placing his hands on Trump’s shoulders circulating on conservative social media.
Trump’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, shared such an image on Instagram with the caption “Fear not, for I am with you.”
Jack Prendergast, a Republican delegate, believes Trump “had an angel sitting on his shoulder — the hand of God moved his face aside.”
This hero worship benefits both the leader and his followers by creating a sense of community and a vehicle to pursue political interests, from evangelical agendas to tax cuts for the wealthy, according to political geographer Natalie Koch.
Despite criticisms of Trump’s faith being a facade, he has fulfilled the evangelical agenda by tilting the Supreme Court heavily conservative and overturning the national right to abortion.
Even Trump’s Democratic opponent, President Joe Biden, has adopted some Trumpian rhetoric, telling ABC News only “Lord Almighty” could convince him to end his re-election bid amid questions about his mental acuity.
“Personality cults are really bad for democracy,” said Lindstaedt, as they encourage blind obedience and undermine democratic safeguards.
Coupled with the Supreme Court’s recent decision bolstering presidential immunity, Lindstaedt warns, “the guardrails of democracy are not really protecting the US from whatever Trump plans on doing once he gets elected, which I think will happen.”
