That happened at yesterday's White House Press Briefing. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt answered:
"I think the president was serious. I think president wants to get to heaven as I hope we all do in this room as well."
Trump's quote was the title of yesterday's post: "I want to get to heaven if possible. I'm hearing I'm not doing well. I hear I'm at the bottom of the totem pole. If I can get to heaven, this will be one of the reasons." Video of Trump saying all that at the link.
Was he serious? The question is how serious?
Was Mary Margaret Olohan serious — seriously hoping that he was serious?
I tend to think yes. She's at The Daily Wire. At Instagram, she calls herself Catholic. She stuck her neck out to ask the question, and she seemed to want to delve, at least a little, into the subject of God and peacemaking.Was Karoline Leavitt serious? She wears that cross around her neck. You can see the text of her answer, but if you watch the video, you'll see she's very crisp and perky, giving one of those you-can't-trick-me answers and moving right along. That was smart and professional.
But I really want to talk about the role of religious beliefs, expressed honestly, in a peacemaking conversation. In the comments on yesterday's post, I asked: "In the 3 hours when Trump and Putin spoke to each other, do you think they talked seriously about religious beliefs?"
Did they? Should they? There are 3 hours. How real does it get in 3 hours?
I noticed that when Putin first arrived in Alaska, he connected what he was doing to religion, to Russian religion. From the transcript of his remarks: "Alaska has to do with our common heritage, common history between Russia and the U.S., and many positive events have to do with that territory. Still, there is tremendous cultural heritage, back from the Russian America, for example, Orthodox churches...."
There are Russian Orthodox churches in Alaska — left from the Russian colonial days. "That territory" was once Russia's, and now the war is over territory that Putin believes — sincerely? — is still Russia's. Did the 2 men, in 3 hours, not talk about beliefs?
Posts
69 comments:
How dare he. Heaven is for ... the Adam Schitt tru-believers.
Impeach!
In Ye Olden Days, i.e. before America, pretty much no seperation of church and state. And if your leader was no good, it was a sign God wasn't real thrilled with your country.
On the plus side, God held the king responsible, not you. So it wasn't all bad: you could blame the King when you face God after you die. Now? You are on your own, and you are punished for your own sins and cannot weasel out by saying the King made you do it.
Trump may have given the afterlife considerable thought after avoiding it by an inch when the bullet nicked his ear instead of splattering his brains.
Hasn't Putin made a bit of hay by positioning Russia as the Christian alternative to the godless amoral LGBT loving west which is pretty much Sodom and Gomorrah?
And quite clearly, that said godless amoral LGBT loving west... hates Trump with a white hot anger. So, maybe Putin would be curious to know whether Trump really is that decadent playboy the left accuses him of being. Not that Putin would care, I think: Putin likes the ladies too, I believe. And isn't going to let a little thing like age or marital status interfere with that.
A 3 hour meeting is FOREVER in the business world.
He's simply setting out a position knowing that the Oppositional Defiance Disorder Democrats (ODDD) will take a contrary stand and declare wanting to go to heaven racist sexist and a sign of authoritarianism. Hell they are already pooh-poohing peace, PEACE! for Christ's sake.
Ha, Mike, that is a possibility. Democrats are so deranged it might be easy for Trump to just play them. He comes out in favor of going to heaven? Working towards it? Then the left will suddenly start shrieking about the virtues and desirability of going to hell and promising that if you vote for them, they will make sure you go to hell. Versus that icky Trump trying to get you to heaven.
And who wants that?
Was there a second possible answer?
Why not ask: "The President said he wants to end the killing. Was he serious about that or is the killing really just fine?"
Sheese! They really do not know what their job is.
The Daily Wire is a psyop. It is a dishonest organization with hidden goals.
Their actions and words do not match.
I'm sure that Trump PARTIALLY thinks its a good Christian thing to broker peace. And that doing good Christian things help you get into Heaven.
But I don't think Trump is particularly religious. If he was, he wouldn't be supporting Israel's genocide in Gaza and would've been outraged at Israel bombing churches and and sniping at people inside Churches. Not to mention killing aid workers, journalists, women and children.
I think trump is like that Luthern Pastor who urged everyone to vote for the very Unchristian Kamala Harris. His politics come 1st, and his religion comes after.
Give me a boost, a boost over heaven's gate
Trump is already rich, heaven's beloved angels like. (reich-gleich) Martin Luther
I do look forward to the Left declaring that the President wanting to do good things to get into heaven is a bad thing.
You know they want Trump to fail and they want people to die so they can wave the bloody shirt around. They will almost certainly fall into the trap that trying to do good things to get into heaven is bad.
You don’t really even need to try. They do everything they can to portray themselves as moral degenerates.
I'm picturing their 3 hour meeting taking place on Joe Rogan's set. The two of them leaning back in their chairs drinking whiskey and bullshitting about the nature of God and UFOs.
Trump's just trying to make heaven a place the Left avoids.
The reportette does something I really hate. Ask one Goddamn question. Don't ask two unrelated questions. Some of these press clowns will actually ask 3 questions! And get one answered. Usually the last one.
RCOCEAN II, 11:04AM
This is just barking-at-the moon, spittle-flecked, Hamas-hoax madness: [if Trump were religious] "he wouldn't be supporting Israel's genocide in Gaza and would've been outraged at Israel bombing churches and and sniping at people inside Churches. Not to mention killing aid workers, journalists, women and children."
If you wanna get to heaven...
You got to raise a little hell.
WaPo: Without evidence Trump asserts there is a heaven and that he may go there. Experts state that no explorers have returned from heaven and that scientists have been unable to locate it.
"This is just barking-at-the moon, spittle-flecked, Hamas-hoax madness"
Well that certainly is persuasive.
You can tell Father is an Episcopalian:
Father: I don't go to church to be preached at as though I were some lost sheep.
Vinnie: Clare, you don't seem to understand what the Church is for.
Father: Vinnie, if there's one place the Church should leave alone, it's a man's soul!
"On the plus side, God held the king responsible, not you. So it wasn't all bad: you could blame the King when you face God after you die. Now? You are on your own, and you are punished for your own sins and cannot weasel out by saying the King made you do it."
Henry V, Act 4, scene 1 (a fragment):
BATES
Ay, or more than we should seek after; for we know
enough, if we know we are the kings subjects: if
his cause be wrong, our obedience to the king wipes
the crime of it out of us.
WILLIAMS
But if the cause be not good, the king himself hath
a heavy reckoning to make, when all those legs and
arms and heads, chopped off in battle, shall join
together at the latter day and cry all 'We died at
such a place;' some swearing, some crying for a
surgeon, some upon their wives left poor behind
them, some upon the debts they owe, some upon their
children rawly left. I am afeard there are few die
well that die in a battle; for how can they
charitably dispose of any thing, when blood is their
argument? Now, if these men do not die well, it
will be a black matter for the king that led them to
it; whom to disobey were against all proportion of
subjection.
KING HENRY V
So, if a son that is by his father sent about
merchandise do sinfully miscarry upon the sea, the
imputation of his wickedness by your rule, should be
imposed upon his father that sent him: or if a
servant, under his master's command transporting a
sum of money, be assailed by robbers and die in
many irreconciled iniquities, you may call the
business of the master the author of the servant's
damnation: but this is not so: the king is not
bound to answer the particular endings of his
soldiers, the father of his son, nor the master of
his servant; for they purpose not their death, when
they purpose their services. Besides, there is no
king, be his cause never so spotless, if it come to
the arbitrement of swords, can try it out with all
unspotted soldiers: some peradventure have on them
the guilt of premeditated and contrived murder;
some, of beguiling virgins with the broken seals of
perjury; some, making the wars their bulwark, that
have before gored the gentle bosom of peace with
pillage and robbery. Now, if these men have
defeated the law and outrun native punishment,
though they can outstrip men, they have no wings to
fly from God: war is his beadle, war is vengeance;
so that here men are punished for before-breach of
the king's laws in now the king's quarrel: where
they feared the death, they have borne life away;
and where they would be safe, they perish: then if
they die unprovided, no more is the king guilty of
their damnation than he was before guilty of those
impieties for the which they are now visited. Every
subject's duty is the king's; but every subject's
soul is his own. Therefore should every soldier in
the wars do as every sick man in his bed, wash every
mote out of his conscience: and dying so, death
is to him advantage; or not dying, the time was
blessedly lost wherein such preparation was gained:
and in him that escapes, it were not sin to think
that, making God so free an offer, He let him
outlive that day to see His greatness and to teach
others how they should prepare.
Even in Shakespeare's day, I vas juost following orders is no excuse.
RCOCEAN II said...
But I don't think Trump is particularly religious. If he was, he wouldn't be supporting Israel's genocide in Gaza and would've been outraged at Israel bombing churches and and sniping at people inside Churches. Not to mention killing aid workers, journalists, women and children
Hatred of Jews is clouding your judgement.
Allowing the people of Gaza to maintain their current social contract just dooms future generations of children to the same fate as this generation of children. Children in Gaza are turned into weapons of war by corrupt leadership in Gaza. This will continue until Gaza is taken away from Hamas.
Unfortunately Hamas has actually done things that are uniquely evil in history. Never before has a group of leaders built hundreds of miles of tunnels underneath a civilian population and so blatantly tried to get as many of their own people killed on purpose. The NAZIs had more humanity than Hamas.
The entire world should unite to remove all civilians from Gaza and to sort out all Hamas members and supporters in the population.
Once these people who support Hamas are isolated they should be made an example of that history remembers for a 1000 years. I would get creative with it. Ant piles. Impalings. Tourniquets. Racks. It should be streamed on YouTube.
I think a worldwide suggestion box for ways to kill Hamas members in the worst way possible would increase involvement and more deeply seat the lesson.
When Peace reign on earth won't it be heavenly!!
I think Trump was clearly making a joke when he said that but he was also baiting the left at the same time. I expect to see a more than a few essays this week of the sort, "No, Donald Trump, You Are Not Getting Into Heaven."
Oh, you can't get to heaven on roller skates
'Cause you'd roll right by those pearly gates
Oh, you can't get to heaven in a rocking chair
'Cause the rocking chair won't get you there
Oh, you can't get to heaven in a limousine
'Cause the Lord don't sell no gasoline
If you get there before I do
Just tell my friend I'm coming too
Please, the answer, my friends, is no. Christians may lie, but not as often nor as obviously as this president does. For starters, Trump doesn't attend church services. And a Christian would not have ordered that hundreds of FBI agents to search through thousands of pages of Jeffrey Epstein documents in order to remove Don Trump's name. And what is this quid pro quo action to move Ghislaine Maxwell to Club Fed?
If they talked for 3 hours who/whom was Joe Roganing who/whom??!!
badfly - Does Nancy Pelosi attend church ? Hillary? Biden?
What is your point?
Whether religion was discussed, or not, the answer is either peace, or kill them all and let God sort them out. That's the only method history shows finally arrives at peace.
"For starters, Trump doesn't attend church services."
Religion is not faith and faith is not religion. There's an old joke that God gave man faith and then the devil showed up and said, "Hey! Lemme me help organize that for ya!" Tens of millions of people of faith in this country belong to no church or religious community and converse with their God every day.
No Christian needs to attend anything to be Christian.
You got to go through hell before you get to heaven. --- Paul Pena
No, in Christian theology, good deeds alone do not guarantee entrance into heaven. While good deeds are encouraged and considered a positive expression of faith, salvation is believed Bito be attained through grace and faith in Jesus Christ.
Salvation by Grace, not Works:
.The core belief is that salvation is a gift from God, received through faith in Jesus Christ, not earned through good works or adherence to a set of rules. Christian sources emphasize that Jesus' sacrifice on the cross atones for humanity's sins, making salvation possible.
Good Deeds as a Result of Faith:
.While good deeds are not the means to salvation, they are often seen as a natural consequence or evidence of a transformed heart and a relationship with God. Some sources suggest that those who have faith in Jesus will be motivated to live a life that reflects that faith through acts of love and service to others.
Many biblical passages support this idea, such as Ephesians 2:8-9, which states, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.". SO THT NO ONE CAN BOAST...sound like trump? Ya got to read the BOOK and adhere to the principles. MAGAS love the PROSPERITY GOSPEL.. All will come before the GREAT WHITE THRONE to see if their name is written in the Book ,the guy who said on live TV in 2015 "I think if I do something wrong. I just try and make it right. I don't bring God into that picture I don't" Asking God for forgiveness is a core tenet of Christian Faith,,,read the BOOK!
“He's simply setting out a position knowing that the Oppositional Defiance Disorder Democrats (ODDD) will take a contrary stand and declare wanting to go to heaven racist sexist and a sign of authoritarianism. Hell they are already pooh-poohing peace, PEACE! for Christ's sake.”
Not true. That you can’t envision any non Trumpists as Christians, not believing in an afterlife, and Pooh-poohing PEACE is sad. Who are you to judge a Democrat or Non Trumpist person as having less Christian faith than you?
I believe a line has been crossed elevating Trump as a near Deity. Trump is a flawed human, just like you and I and the rest of humankind. Trump posting images of himself as some Golden idol isn’t funny and if he wants to get to heaven he might rethink that. I’m thinking of that Gaza resort video.
That Trump is worried about getting to heaven is a good thing, I’m glad to hear it, but it’s not good works that will get him there, it’s belief in God and asking for forgiveness of sins, hopefully he’s done that. His health isn’t great and he’s almost 80
Achilles said...
Once these people who support Hamas are isolated they should be made an example of that history remembers for a 1000 years. I would get creative with it. Ant piles. Impalings. Tourniquets. Racks. It should be streamed on YouTube.
8/20/25, 11:23 AM
Mmhmm. Maybe we could try gassing them?
Seriously, Israel is facing levels of disapproval in America that were unthinkable even a generation ago. In the European Union, there is a very real chance multiple countries might break off diplomatic relations entirely. And the biggest part is that American Jews don't welcome your actions. The vast majority of them will be absolutely disgusted by you even as you handle their trash for them. When the majority of Jews have to choose between liberal internationalism or Zionism, Zionism is going out.
This is partly why moral structures are important to people like President Trump, and why the increasingly barbaric immorality of the Israel project will destroy its viability.
"Their actions and words do not match."
Which actions of the Daily Wire do not involve words?
Botfly - all of that matters - After you tell us WHY Bill Clinton flew to Epstein's Island 28 times.
a Christian would not have ordered that hundreds of FBI agents to search through thousands of pages of Jeffrey Epstein documents in order to remove Don Trump's name.
Well, that didn't happen, so...
Dinky…remember this?
"Why do I have to repent or ask for forgiveness, if I am not making mistakes?" asked Trump. "I work hard, I'm an honorable person."
https://www.christianpost.com/news/trump-why-do-i-have-to-repent-or-ask-for-forgiveness-if-i-am-not-making-mistakes-video.html
If Trump believes that, his pastor has some work to do. Good works are evidence of being among the Elect. But good works alone will not place you among the Elect. Being among the Elect is done through choice: Choose Jesus as your Way.
Paul writes, “I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law [good works], then Christ died in vain.” (Galatians 2:21, NKJV).
Paul further writes, “For by grace you have been saved through faith [in the salvation work of Christ], and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8–9, NKJV).
He’s just tryin to get to heaven before they close the door.
I love this quote by Trump. After the corrupt left tried to kill him, tried to jail him... libeled him... impeached him over Biden's actual Ukrainian corruption.
"Why do I have to repent or ask for forgiveness, if I am not making mistakes?" asked Trump. "I work hard, I'm an honorable person."
Fuck you, leftists.
Predestination - "the elect" - is a towering crock of bs that has - and should - gone the way of the Huguenots.
The position of the catholic Church and that of the Orthodox church is that heaven is earned by faith and good works. Because good works are an expression of faith. That's good enough for me. I don't need to listen to some nobody who's skimmed through the bible and come up with a unique personal "every man his own pope" interpetation.
Here is the video Trump shared on Truth Social
Trump Gaza
Also he’s reposted AI pictures of himself a Pope. Maybe he needs to get serious about asking for forgiveness.
"Who are you to judge a Democrat or Non Trumpist person as having less Christian faith than you?"
I dunno. Maybe because you are silent on Israel's genocide in gaza, and support a war in Ukraine. Mabye you support non-Christians. Maybe because you support Abortion and sorts of immorality condemned by Christians for 2000 years. Maybe because its impossible to tell by your actions and words that you are Christian in any way.
But maybe not.
So much expertise in the unknowable leaves me feeling like I missed too much school. Seriously, where did you people learn all this stuff with such certainty?
Faith is a trust domain.
Religion is a behavioral protocol or model.
Heaven or Martha's Vineyard. Does the motive matter?
As far as Christians go Trump's knowledge of Christian Theology is pretty average. The thing is, no where in the Bible does it say you need to understand the niceties of Christian Dogma to be a Christian. The essential things to be a Christian are to believe in the One God who created the universe and sent his only begotten Son to pay the price for our sins and to repent your sins.
Also, How Christians are Portrayed in Movies
Inga - Have you asked for forgiveness for all of the leftist lies and fraud you bought, believed, and advanced? +
Peachy, I’ve prayed it thousands of times in my life, how about you?
The Lord’s Prayer…
Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, in earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
There's a potus who's sure all that glitters is gold
And he’s buying a stairway to Heaven.
I would guess, however, that Trump’s Heaven is a euphemism for the Nobel Peace Prize and that Trump and Putin did talk about that in their 3 hour meeting.
Used to be forgive our trespasses. I don't know when debt was thought to be more accurate. Paying back debt is part of the deal, if anything is going to work.
"The essential things to be a Christian are to believe in the One God who created the universe and sent his only begotten Son to pay the price for our sins and to repent your sins. "
Some Christians think that part is nonsense.
The essence of Christianity comes from Augustine: think the best of others instead of the worst.
The afterlife heaven is figurative for one on earth. Temporizing the essence : representing what is by how it winds up.
Thylias Moss, dealing with dogma
I don't believe in [God]. He's just a casual acquaintance,
a comfortable associate with whom I can be myself.
To believe in Him would place Him in the center of the universe,
when He's far more secure in the fringes,
so He doesn't have to look over His shoulder to nab the backstabbers who want promotions,
but are tired of waiting for Him to die and set in motion the natural evolution.
God doesn't want to evolve.
Has been against evolution from its creation.
He doesn't figure many possibilities are open to Him.
I think He's wise to bide His time, even though He pales in the moonlight to just a glow...
just the warmth of hot chocolate spreading through the body like a subcutaneous halo.
But to trust in Him implicitly would be a mistake,
for then He would not have to maintain His worthiness to be God.
Even the thinnest flyweight modicum of doubt gives God the necessity
to prove He's worthy of the implicit trust I can never give
because I protect Him from corruption,
from the complacency that rises within Him sometimes,
a shadowy ever-descending brother.
Trump calls for Fed governor's resignation as ally requests DOJ probe ~ Fox Business
This is hilarious.
Trump committed gross mortgage fraud by adding eight non-existent floors to an office building, tripling the square footage of commercial space and so forth.
How about Trump resign?
Didn't the AG of Texas Ken Paxton just get caught doing this exact same thing with 3 houses? When are Republicans going to call for his resignation?
A "call to action" must have gone out to the trolls. Trump ain't perfect, but he wants this war stopped, and he is facing an array of powerful politicians and members of his own government who want it to continue. It wasn't just Germany that allowed that they would be better off if the war continued another five years, a Danish politician said it as well.
Why are they saying this? I can only speculate, but there is a lot of loose talk among European leaders of fighting Russia directly in five years. Germany is starting to try to re-arm, for example and the EU is trying to issue bonds, which is the last step before the EU directly imposes taxes on Europeans, to build up an EU military. And what is the justification for this power grab? "Putin! Putin! Putin! Evil Putin is making us impose taxes on you and build up a military industrial complex, the provision of weapons to and by which will make us all rich! Putin!"
A question that might shed light on whether Trump was/is serious about going to heaven would be if he found out that he was indeed going to heaven would trade heaven for a third term.
If you are entirely sincere in your religious belief, you don't enter politics, the realm of compromises and misdirection.
What it means to have faith, how you know if you have faith, what you do if you have faith and how that differs from how you would behave if you don't have faith are all complicated questions, maybe too complicated for human minds to answer, so if we must judge and be judged, our acts and works are a good basis for judging.
IDF "Gaza therapy" is also a complicated matter. From backing Gaza to avoid negotiating with Fatah to ignoring warnings of the October 2023 attacks -- it's all murky. The idea that everything has to be destroyed for Gaza's own good is also highly questionable. Is the point really Gaza's own good, or even Israel's, or is it expansionism or just keeping Bibi in power?
You mean you "believe in the One God who created the universe and sent his only begotten Son to pay the price for our sins and to repent your sins" all by yourself!?! BURN THE WITCH!
"Who are you to judge a Democrat or Non Trumpist person as having less Christian faith than you?"
I dunno. Maybe because you are silent on Israel's genocide in gaza, and support a war in Ukraine.
Me… I support Israel’s right to defend itself, but that stops with what they have done in Gaza. Biblically Jews are God’s chosen people, but I doubt God is in favor of killing hundreds of thousands of innocent people.
“Mabye you support non-Christians.”
Me…
are you asserting that you support only Christians?
“Maybe because you support Abortion and sorts of immorality condemned by Christians for 2000 years.”
Me…
I’ve said on these threads numerous times over the years that I do not support abortion, but I do support allowing a woman to decide. I believe that if the woman decides to kill the baby in her womb, she will face God at her death and answer to him. Also God may understand her decision and forgive her if she asks Him to. As for homosexuality, who am I to judge them? The Old Testament also says it’s a sin to eat shellfish. How about having two wives or a concubine? There are things in the Old Testament that are unclear.
“Maybe because its impossible to tell by your actions and words that you are Christian in any way.”
Me…
maybe you have pre conceived ideas about people on the left. Are you a good arbiter of who is a Christian? I was raised in a Christian faith, I still believe in God and Jesus, his son. I still practice many of the teachings I learned. I also grew up and learned that Biblical teachings can be twisted, misunderstood and abused.
Europe is afraid that the US will leave, and the knife fight for the "mastery of Europe" will resume. I think that this is the next book I should read:
The Struggle for Mastery in Europe, 1848–1918
Inga - I didn't ask you about how often you pray - I asked if you seek forgiveness when it comes to the deliberate calculated lies you buy wholesale.
You might want also want to seek help about your Trump obsession.
Better not, I bet that book is full of Putin's propaganda that I might be in danger of internalizing.
Post a Comment
Please use the comments forum to respond to the post. Don't fight with each other. Be substantive... or interesting... or funny. Comments should go up immediately... unless you're commenting on a post older than 2 days. Then you have to wait for us to moderate you through. It's also possible to get shunted into spam by the machine. We try to keep an eye on that and release the miscaught good stuff. We do delete some comments, but not for viewpoint... for bad faith.