Back in 2015, like many of us, I watched with a dismissive smirk as Donald Trump rode down the escalator and announced that he would run for President. After a few months, that smirk became a curious raised eyebrow as he gained momentum, and it appeared that he actually had a chance to get the Republican Nomination.  On Election Night 2016, again like many of us, I watched with a strange mix of disbelief and belief as in… “Wait What!? Ohhh…of course he won, this is still America!   

Then, on Election Night of his second term, after ten years of political gaslighting (from both sides), it appeared that America had become embroiled in the worst season of political polarization in its history, until it occurred to me… perhaps politics is not, or ever really has been, the issue? I think the real issue is blindness.

The Imago Dei

This is a blindness that starts with devaluing other human beings to justify objectifying them. That objectification then justifies exploiting them, and exploiting them ultimately justifies hating them. This type of blindness refuses to see that, as human beings, we all bear the Imago Dei or Image of God, and that the cycle of devaluing, objectifying, exploiting, and hating can only be broken when we refuse to continue participating in its perpetuation.

So, while I am sure that Donald Trump couldn’t care less that what he is doing or that the office he is doing it from, has too often been little more than a conduit that allows the wealthiest among us, to exploit the rest of us; and while I could never respect what he has done in the world with his wealth and influence; or how he has exploited those who live at the margins with their basic material needs just out of reach… I do acknowledge that as a human being, he bears the Image Dei and has inherent value.

So, I don’t hate Donald Trump; I pity him, knowing that, like me, he is a tortured soul who, despite his behavior, is loved by the God of the Universe, who longs to heal him at the core of his being.  And I know that if he, like I did, would in humility find the courage to turn to God, Donald Trump, like I did, would find healing for his tortured soul… and every day I pray that he would someday find the courage.