Donald J. Trump is the 45th President of the United States of America. His divisive style of leadership is not indicative of any religious affiliation.
Donald Trump is not Jewish. The current President of the US and billionaire real estate developer actually identifies as Presbyterian although he is not an active member of his church.
Donald Trump has recently fallen out of favor with the Jewish community due to his incendiary comments about Jews in America. As a consequence, he has been accused of being an antisemite.
The Faith Of Donald Trump
According to a “spiritual biography” of the same name, written by David Brody and Scott Lamb, Donald Trump’s religious beliefs are deeply important to him.
As a child, he was baptized at the family church in their hometown of Queens, New York, and attended Sunday School.
Years later Trump’s parents became congregants at the Marble Collegiate Church in Manhattan, and the family maintained a personal relationship with the pastor, Rev. Peale until he died in 1993.
So close was his relationship with the family that the Reverend Peale officiated Trump’s first wedding and was also the officiant at his parents’ funerals.
In their book, “The Faith of Donald J. Trump”, authors Brody and Lamb write about the President’s deep Christian faith and his belief in the preeminence of the bible. According to Trump, “nothing beats the Bible.”
Relationship With Jews
Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner is Jewish. Upon marrying him, Trump’s daughter, Ivanka, converted to Judaism.
Although he is not Jewish, the conservative radio talk show host, Mark Levin, once referred to him as “the first Jewish President of the United States”.
This might have come about as a result of actions the President has taken in support of Israel throughout his time in the White House.
Stateside, he signed an executive order calling for the designation of Jewish people as not only a religious group, but also an ethnic one.
Despite these overtures, the President does not seem to be able to shake being labeled as anti-semitic.
Controversy With Jews
Donald Trump has not let the presidency censor him on any topic. Just as during his campaign, he freely spoke his mind on any topic on which he had any thoughts, much to the cheers of his supporters.
In 2019 while addressing an audience of the Israeli American Council, he referred to some of the attendees as not nice, but that they still had to vote for him.
He once showed a picture of Hillary Clinton – his rival Democratic presidential candidate at the time – with the star of David and stacks of money, labeling it, “Most Corrupt Person Ever”.
The implication was not lost on those who viewed this picture.
During the same campaign, his team ran an ad denigrating some wealthy Jews amidst claims that they were robbing regular Americans and stripping away America’s wealth.
Trump went further in attempting to shame Jews into voting for him by indicating that those who voted Democrat were traitorous to Israel.
Affiliation With Religious Leaders
In his quest to “make America great again”, Donald Trump surrounds himself with key religious leaders in the United States.
His personal pastor and spiritual advisor, Paula White holds a key position in the Public Liaison Office of the White House.
She is the person apparently tasked with interceding on God’s behalf to the President. Reportedly, she helps him to “hear what God has to say”.
Do As I Say…
For a man who controversially stated that he could “stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody” and not lose voters, Donald Trump has said he is the least anti-semitic person ever, just as he said he is the least racist person ever.
He has been noted to be uncomfortable around religious leaders, cannot give specific answers about his favorite passages in the Bible, and even incorrectly recited a book of the Bible, among other faux pas.
More words and actions that support the President’s various beliefs are sure to follow.