Paula White-Cat.
by Francesco Racco
Inni a chapel in the Roosevelt Room. Prayers “in the name of Jesus” pronounced in the cabinet room. Hands stretched in the oval study, where Evangelical shepherds quote biblical verses on the divine legitimacy of the kings. Donald Trump seems to have transformed the White House into a church. Also to satisfy the Lutheran churches, his fervent electrics. Since he was re -elected president, the American Christian right has taken the opportunity to restore roots. His most faithful electorate saw him survive at an attack in the last summer and return to the scene as a man “saved from the grace of almighty God”, his words. And so today, in Washington, the signs of this “miracle” translate into almost daily religious rites in the most reserved environments of the White House, as reported by the New York Times. In America, American religious communities – from episcopal to presbyterians, from Methodists to Battisti – have always played a strong role in the elections. Being survived the attack of Butler, Pennsylvania, last July, was fundamental for Trump in confirming the consent of the American religious right. The president is considered the “second imperfect vessel”, after Ciro the Great, in 539 before Christ, so defined because he had allowed Jews to return to the promised land and reconstruct the temple. It doesn’t matter if the president believes or is a Christian far from integral, to use it mildly. Despite being a sinner, it was the ‘imperfect vessel’, the means through which God made his will.
The new office for the faithful
The new Faith officedesired directly by the president last February and placed in the popular west wing, represents the most evident symbol of this turning point. Not a simple counter for relations with religious communities, as happened at the time of George W. Bush (who read the Bible every day, at the Mattico soon, and then invaded the Irak), but a real control cabin to give political form to the religious vision of the administration. To guide him, the fervent personal pastora of Trump, Paula White-Catflanked by Jennifer Korn. White-Cat is one American telepretant, Apostolic leader movement independent charismatic and supporter of the so -called Theology of prosperity. According to this doctrine, the financial blessing and physical well -being I am always the will of God for believers. Also, it is believed that faiththe Positive confession of the Scriptures And donations to religious or charitable causes lead to an increase in the material wealth. The material successin particular that financialis interpreted as sign of divine gracefavor and of Blessings of God. A religion that fits perfectly for The Donald. «I want to bring it as high as possible. I want it in West Wing, “Trump would have told his spiritual councilor according to the American newspaper. In his room, in addition to religious bibbies and icons, stands a plaque that depicts Trump’s raised punch after the attack in Butler, Pennsylvania. There is also no lack of disposable cups for communion, which Pastara administers daily to anyone who wants to receive it.
A solemnity never seen
In the “Cathedral House White” the Easter week is celebrated with solemnity never seen: celebrations broadcast live, an official Trump declaration as “proclamation” and religious hymns that echo in the presidential palace. To close the event, a Christian version of “‘O Sole Mio” transformed into a hymn of love for Christ: «Oh how much I love him! How much I love it! ». The message is clear: the White House has returned to being a sacred place, where the border between religion and politics becomes increasingly labile. The executive order that establishes the office of the faith promises to combat “anti -Semitic prejudices, anti -Christians and any form of religious intolerance”. But behind the interreligious opening – the administration also organized an IFTAR (the evening meal with which Muslims break the fast) and a celebration of the Jewish Easter – there is above all the intention of “bringing Christianity back” in the public sphere, dismantling the principle of separation between the state and the Church.
Evangelical shepherds such as “spin doctors”
In this setting, the rise of evangelical shepherds to the White House takes on a strategic role. Figures like Jackson Lahmeyerfounder of Pastors for Trumpalternate in the corridors of power to bring blessings, but also to relaunch the spiritual narrative of the administration on social media. «Something special is happening in our country. I saw it with my eyes, “wrote Lahmeyer after one of his visits. And the symbols also count. After the signing of the executive order, Trump indicated two golden cherubs over the doors of the oval study. Then in an interview with Fox News, he corrected the shot: “The angels bring luck». Religion in the White House is not new: Nixon celebrated Masses in the East Room, Obama gathered in prayer with his “protective circle”. But in this second Trump presidency, faith is no longer just inspiration, the observers say. It is something more, it is a political project. And history teaches that when religion is too linked to power, it risks becoming a very dangerous endorsement of operations that are not Christian at all, like a war. An example? The total harmony between Putin and Patriarch Cirillo on the invasion of Ukraine. For Trump, the step from spirituality to Farisaism can be very short.
