An AI image of Donald Trump as Jesus.
An attack on the Pope for preaching restraint over war.
Choosing to fund war over daycare
A rush toward conflict with Iran when negotiation was still on the table.
People Dying in the Middle East.
This is not politics as usual.
This is something else.
For years, those of you who call yourselves the “religious right” have defended your alliance with Trump as a necessary compromise.
An unholy alliance. A trade of sorts. Complicity exchanged for Favorable Judicial rulings and a nexus to power. Silence exchanged for a single-issue victory. See no evil—hear no evil, even when evil is abundant.
Isn’t that the crux of the deal?
You told yourselves it was worth it.
But every bargain has a cost.
And now the bill comes due.
When a political leader elevates himself to something resembling a religious figure—literally reimagined as Jesus Christ in AI imagery—what does that say about the line between faith and idolatry? If you think the image above crosses the line, take a look at the one he posted. Worse, consider the way he treats people, and the nasty things he says and does.
When the leader of the Catholic Church called for peace, Donald Trump mocked him and dismissed him as “weak” or “liberal.” What does that say about the values being defended? When Iran decided to use the Strait of Hormuz as a war strategy, Donald Trump used the worst expletives in our language and threatened to annihilate its people. What happened to “Blessed are the Peacemakers”? “Love thy Neighbor?”
Maybe you support a secure border—most of us do. But how we secure our border and how we treat people who seek to escape tyranny is just as important as our Security. What happened to “You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land?” Directing masked federal agents to terrorize innocent citizens and potential deportees cannot be, in your mind, the most “Christian” way to handle our nation’s immigration problem. Can we not show compassion and secure our border at the same time?
Maybe you support democracy and Jewish control of the Holy Land. Again, most of us do. But wouldn’t you prefer leaders who choose war as a last resort, and not as their first inclination? And don’t you prefer leaders who tell the truth? In July 2025, didn’t Donald Trump say this on Truth Social:
“All three nuclear sites in Iran were completely destroyed and/or OBLITERATED. It would take years to bring them back into service and, if Iran wanted to do so, they would be much better off starting anew, in three different locations, prior to those sites being obliterated, should they decide to do so .”
If he told the truth, then his recent justification for war is a lie. If he lied then, why? To bluster about how powerful he is? To bolster his approval ratings? The truth is that he rarely levels with the American people. He constantly lies. Is this a quality the Christian right admires?
This isn’t about left versus right.
It’s about something deeper—and far more uncomfortable.
At what point does loyalty to a man override loyalty to Christian principles?
At what point does political identity replace moral identity?
And at what point does faith itself become… a prop?
If Trump’s words and deeds are justified in the name of political power, then your support was never about faith. It was about winning. And that’s a different religion entirely.
Mark M. Bello is an attorney and award-winning author of the Zachary Blake Legal Thriller Series, ripped-from-the-headlines, realistic fiction that speaks truth to power and champions the rights of citizens in our justice system. These novels are dedicated to the social justice movement. They educate, spark discussion, and inspire readers to action. One of these was “Betrayal of Justice, a blistering novel about presidential misconduct and hypocrisy” For more information, please visit www.markmbello.com.
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