Macrorrezo en Washington: "God uses Trump to bring Christ back to this country"

WashingtonFrom afar, the kilometer-long line winding around the National Mall lawn looks like a rally for the 2024 campaign. Red hats of Make America Great Again" among American flags. Many of the styles recall the existence of rural America in the capital of ties and polished shoes. The only nuance is the name screen-printed on most t-shirts: references to Trump have today been supplanted by "Jesus." An evangelist pastor walks up and down the line shouting "Hallelujah!" at the top of his lungs for those who are still a little sleepy. People like Kelly, who has come from Richmond (Virginia), got up at four in the morning to be able to participate in the macro-prayer called by the White House this Sunday.

to pursue alleged "anti-Christian" biasThe messianic rhetoric, the Bibles edited by the tycoon, and the photographs with evangelical leaders translate into real and concrete actions on the ground. Over the past year and a half, the Republican has created an office of faith, which is housed within the West Wing of the White House; he has promoted a "commission for religious freedom," which is basically composed of conservative Christians; and he has signed an executive order to pursue alleged "anti-Christian" bias. According to the government website, today's religious service is part of the events to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the independence of the USA. In this case, the objective is "to consecrate our country as one nation under God." Hence the official name is "Rededicate 250" (Reconsagrar 250).

Show of force

The image of thousands of people praying on the National Mall esplanada is once again a display of strength for conservative Christianity, which has been gaining ground within the president's inner circle. The administration does not say it explicitly, but it does not hide its communion with white Christian nationalism either. Of the fifteen spiritual leaders who have participated, fourteen are Christians and the other is an orthodox rabbi. Furthermore, of the fourteen Christians, seven are evangelicals.

But the headliners are not the pastors, but the Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, and the actor Jonathan Roumie, known for playing Jesus in the series The Chosen [The Chosen One]. "I'm really looking forward to hearing Roumie speak, I loved his role in the series," comments Ethan, who is 20 years old and has come from Canada. Despite living on the other side of the border, the messianic church he follows is in Minnesota. It is there that he met Simon and Henry, two brothers aged fifteen and eighteen respectively, who have also come with him. They have driven seventeen hours from their home to be here today.

Simon, who is wearing a MAGA hat, says he is also particularly excited to see Hegseth. The three young people believe that thanks to this administration, being a Christian is no longer seen as "negative" and the two brothers declare themselves fans of the president. However, their smiles break into grimaces of disgust when I mention the meme that Trump posted on Truth Social in which he showed himself as if he were Jesus. "It was a big mistake. I don't think he did it with bad intentions, and besides, he deleted it afterwards. Even so, I still think he is a great leader," replies Simon, who defends the importance of this new administration to "revive" Christianity.

The idea of a Christian "revival" is constantly repeated in each of the conversations. In any case, none of the dozen people interviewed by this correspondent claims to have recently converted to Christianity. On the contrary, they have been active in the faith for years and come from religious backgrounds. Matthew D. Taylor, a researcher specializing in white Christian nationalism, explained a few weeks ago in ARA that this feeling of religious revival is a mirage behind which lies a process of radicalization of people who were already Christians.

The logic with which Simon evaluates Trump also aligns with Kelly's, who downplays how the magnate behaves in his private life. "What he does in his personal life doesn't affect us; we are interested in what he is doing for the country, which is what affects us later. Furthermore, as Christians we know that we are imperfect individuals, him included. But he is restoring faith, something other administrations have not done," defends the woman. This logic of seeing Trump as a means to a higher end is repeated in many of the people in the queue.

Martin Nolan, a 42-year-old Baptist Christian, also values the Republican from this pragmatic viewpoint. "It's not that I love everything he does, but we are here to pray and that's what matters." The man is in charge of the youth group at his church. The boys wear jeans and polo shirts; the girls wear a type of head covering to hide their hair and 19th-century dresses. They are all between fifteen and twenty years old, but it is Nolan who approaches to answer questions. When I question one of the girls, the young woman limits herself to responding with monosyllables and a shy smile. Nolan explains that the girls go with their heads covered because "there is a part of the Bible that says so."