AI, Christianity and race in the age of Trump – The Bucknellian
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It is interesting how after Trump escalated war in the Middle East, tormented American cities to get rid of the “most dangerous illegal aliens,” instigated an insurrection after he failed to be re-elected in 2020, practically starred in the Epstein Files and obliterated American foreign relations, the incident to put many over the edge was his Truth Social post depicting himself as Jesus Christ.
“I thought it was me as a doctor,” he claimed in defense of this depiction, “I make people better.” He then said, “I viewed that as a picture of me being a doctor in fixing– you had the Red Cross right there, you had, you know, medical people surrounding me. And I was like the doctor, you know, as a little fun playing the doctor and making people better. So that’s what it was viewed as. That’s what most people thought.”
Adversaries of Trump likely saw this post as another day in the office– Trump’s regular publications of inappropriate AI images are nothing new. So, why did this post trigger such a significant response from Trump’s diehard supporters, who regularly tolerate his social media presence?
I think the response highlights an important characteristic of Trump’s unconditional supporters: they are strongly swayed by the prospect of religious nationalism. This is not true of all those who voted for Trump, but it seems to endure for his supporters that have almost religiously stood by his side. I believe this can be explained by the fact that many have supported Trump during a period of economic, social or political vulnerability, and that they found comfort in the idea of Trump promising them a return to preexisting dynamics that places them at the top of each hierarchy. When Trump suddenly strayed from his commitment to the values behind this religious identity and moved toward a mockery of such values, people felt betrayed. Trump was supposed to be their friend, right? He was supposed to be the embodiment of Christian values, right? He was supposed to protect them and ensure the return of white, Christian nationalism, right?
Abandonment from this concept likely felt like a stab in the back for many, moving them to care about this portrayal in a deeply personal way, unlike any former threats to their humanity.
It also seems that the adverse response to this post as opposed to Trump’s AI posts of Barack and Michelle Obama as monkeys, or Hakeem Jeffries wearing a sombrero, suggests an increasing tolerance in the degree of racism the American electorate is becoming accustomed to accepting. Much of Trump’s campaigning has leaned on utilizing marginalized groups as a scapegoat for existing problems in the U.S. When we see a stronger response to offensive religious depictions, but this same response is not replicated in offensive depictions of race, it could be true that the former feels like a threat toward Christian nationalists while the latter feels like a threat toward all those who potentially put Christian nationalism at risk.
The clashing of race and religion is not new, but it tells us where we are and what our priorities say about us. We are under the leadership of a president who does not seem to care about the interests of a large segment of the population–namely, marginalized groups–but it is also becoming increasingly clear that maybe he does not care about the interests of the people he does actually claim to represent. Maybe hiding behind Christianity as a means to depict himself as a wholly good and a moral leader is no longer feasible for Trump as he makes his interests clear. Perhaps this era marks the point where the masks Trump once wore have finally slipped, laying bare the reality that his public image was always a facade constructed for political gain.
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