When Donald Trump first started his campaign for president back in 2015, he immediately showed the world who he was by using incendiary rhetoric which included racist dog whistles and horrific xenophobic bigotry that scapegoated immigrants. At the time, I was working on my thesis, which later became my first book, and I wrote in a chapter on politics that the potential for a Trump presidency conjured up images of “jack booted thugs” rounding up people that Trump didn’t like. I was encouraged to remove the term “jack booted thugs” because it was too forceful and perhaps alarmist. Fast forward to 2024, and Trump is inexplicably running for president again, and his fascist rhetoric has only intensified. The career criminal and self admitted sexual predator has now repeatedly been saying that there are “enemies without and enemies within,” thus targeting American citizens as well as immigrants whether they have documentation or not.

For Trump, anyone who doesn’t kiss his ring is included among those enemies within. He has named specific politicians as enemies within. Trump calls his enemies “radical leftists” and “socialist, communists, fascists,” the latter of which is a contradiction in terms as anyone with a rudimentary grasp of history knows. I am a former Marine, a disabled veteran with service connected PTSD, a religious scholar and theologian, permaculture enthusiast, aspiring pacifist, and politically I am ardently anti-Trump. I lean to the left, pretty significantly I must add, and by that I mean that I believe in human rights for all people, that a habitable planet for everyone should be the aim for global governments, that Americans should have universal health care, that systemic racism is real and needs to be eradicated, that our defense budget is obscene as is American foreign policy, and that capitalism is literally the love of money –and we all know what the Bible says about the love of money. I believe all of these things because I take Jesus’ message of love of neighbor, the golden rule, and his injunctions in Matthew 25 seriously. Despite my military service and veteran’s status, despite my attempts to take Jesus’ teachings seriously, despite my love for the only planet we have, Donald Trump thinks I, and others like me, are “the enemy within.”

The real enemies within are fascism and religious extremism, both of which are fueled by white supremacy. Jesus taught that it is love which should set his followers apart, not intentionally scapegoating others, whether based on nationality, sexuality, gender, or faith. All scapegoating like that does is sow division and hatred. I once saw a Trump supporter claiming that Trump was like Jesus because Jesus told his listeners at one time that he came to bring division. It was an egregious piece of eisegesis and wildly misinterpreting the text. Trump’s attempts to divide are to benefit himself and other rich people all while propping up systems of oppression. Jesus said he came to bring division by showing a path of love of neighbor rather than rigid legalism, through radical hospitality instead of exclusion, through grace and forgiveness rather than retribution, and through nonviolent direct action rather than violent revolt. Donald Trump’s rhetoric and actions show him to be a fascist whose plan is “us versus them” and not Jesus’ kindom of God. The former has been corroborated by many historians of authoritarian movements. Theologically speaking, there is nothing Christlike in Trump’s MAGA movement.

Similarly, religious extremism, in our case, Christian nationalism, is yet another form of hyper-rigid, overly legalistic fundamentalism and it is becoming increasingly mainstream in large measure because of Trump’s political career. The human rights and dignity of many groups of people, including LGBTQ+ peoples, immigrants regardless of status, women, non-Christians, progressive Christians, BIPOC folks, and those who are in some way disabled, are all targets of Christian nationalists. These authoritarian Christians flock to Trump because fascists of a feather flock together and despite their differences, they do have many of the same goals politically and culturally. None of those goals includes perpetuating democracy, social justice, truth and reconciliation, equality, or maintaining the Constitution. None of their goals look like things that Jesus actually taught either. There is no legitimate case, either historical or theological, for Christian nationalists to make America a theocracy or a theonomy. Despite this, Christian nationalists have made their hopes and intentions known through the Project 2025 document, Leonard Leo’s well documented meddling with SCOTUS and his Teneo group’s undermining of democracy. There is also the truly horrifying “Statement on Christian Nationalism and the Gospel,” the NAR prophet Lance Wallnau’s Courage Tour, and narcissistic worship leader Sean Feucht’s “I exalt me” (my term, not his) concerts at state capitols around the country where they have laid their cards on the table for all to see. They’ve told us who they are so we must believe them and act accordingly to thwart them at every turn.

On Sunday, Donald Trump’s campaign held a rally here in Lancaster, PA. I secured a ticket in order to observe a fascist rally in person and report on it. As I walked from my home towards the downtown venue, I became hyper-vigilant because I have PTSD, and I was willingly walking towards a crowd of people who view me as a “radical leftist, commie, fascist socialist enemy within,” or some such Trumpian nonsense. When I arrived to the location there were hundreds of people in line and milling around the intersection near the venue. Several stands were selling Trump paraphernalia and other right wing style merchandise. As I made my way towards the line, a personality trait of mine made it self known — I began to volubly comment on things I was seeing out loud as I was surrounded by a see of MAGA hat wearing Trump supporters. None of what I said was polite, nor was it untrue, but it became immediately apparent that my inability to not comment, to not push back on the lies and fascist rhetoric, to silently let things slide, was going to put me in danger. Already being hyper-vigilant and thus ready to go into fight or flight mode, I made the wise choose to walk away from the venue. That didn’t stop me from yelling “You’re in a cult!” multiple times as four wheel drive trucks flying MAGA flags and blaring their horns drove through downtown like teens cruising the square on a Saturday night.

I watched Trump’s town hall on his “All Trump, All the time channel” RSBN on YouTube once I got home. It was the same litany of grievances, fascist rhetoric, xenophobic nativism, lies, scapegoating, and self aggrandizement that one has to expect whenever he opens his mouth. There was also significant gaslighting, such as when he claimed that even calling a woman beautiful can derail a political career, despite being the Republican candidate for president even though he’s a sexual predator and adjudicated rapist. Cult member behavior too was on display as Sage Steele played the role of Sycophant in Charge moderating the proceedings. Some audience members cried and one woman fawned as she described the tattoo of Trump she has that she shows everyone because she loves him so much. It was frankly hard to watch and clearly meant to stoke his narcissistic ego. I never would have made it through the event in person without getting thrown out or violently assaulted simply because I cannot keep my mouth shut when faced with such lies, obfuscations, and hate mongering. Despite the presence of many Christians, I saw nothing at all Christlike in the event. Rather, I saw a wolf in poorly fitting sheep’s clothing convincing a large flock of sheep that he’s a herbivore and on their side. It’s tragic on so many levels, for those people, for the country, and the world.

I pray that Trump loses and is then held accountable for his many crimes —especially his crimes against women and children. I pray that those who have supported him will have the scales fall from their eyes thus leading them to grace and repentance. I pray that those of us who have long been “enemies within” will find grace in our hearts for those who have been duped by a spray tanned, make up wearing, con man and the propaganda which has propped him up. I pray that there will be a truly peaceful transfer of power to the Harris-Walz administration and that we the people will hold the new president and Congress accountable to bring about true systemic change, social justice and equality, and mitigating climate change with the alacrity and action that the situation demands. Antifascist activism doesn’t stop, even if Trump loses in a landslide. We have our collective thumbs in the dike to hold back a Christofascist flood. They won’t give up if Vice President Harris wins, and neither should we.

Peace be with you.

P.S. My latest book comes out on election day from Quoir Publishing. Look for it on Amazon or email me if you want a signed copy.