Donald Trump Tells Christian Leaders He Has to Win Election So He Doesn't Go to Hell
Speaking to evangelical leaders in Florida on Thursday, Donald Trump emphasized the importance of this year’s election to Christians in general and Donald Trump in particular, who, by his own account, must win in November or spend eternity in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone.
“This will be an election that will go down in the history books for the evangelicals, for the Christians, for everybody of religion,” said Trump, according to The Hill.
“So go out and spread the word, and once I get in, I’ll do my thing that I do very well,” he continued. “And I figure it’s probably—maybe the only way I’m going to get into heaven, so I better do a good job.”
Trump: “It’s probably, maybe the only way I’m going to get to heaven…” https://t.co/8ZfJbQbwfX
— Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) August 11, 2016
Trump’s playful remark drew laughs from the crowd, but, as is so often the case, the joke served to deflect from an uncomfortable tension. Despite being a notorious womanizer who has made his own name synonymous with greed and excess, some of the Republican nominee’s strongest support comes from white evangelicals, 78 percent of whom said they would vote for Trump last month.
Last year, Trump told CNN that he has never asked God for forgiveness. And why should he? According to our nation’s true prevailing religion, the only sin is being on the losing team.