Donald Trump has presented himself as a protector of conservative Christians and as the best friend Christians will ever have.
He has held up his mother’s Bible and pledged to bring Christ back into Christmas.
But when the rubber meets the road, he is anything but the defender of conservative Christians and their values.
This became crystal clear yesterday morning (April 21), when Trump, appearing on the Today show, answered questions on abortion, North Carolina’s Bathroom Privacy Act, and transgender rights.
When he was asked if he would like to change the Republican Party Platform on abortion, which allows no exceptions for rape, incest, or the life of the mother, Trump replied without hesitation, “Yes, I would, absolutely, for the three exceptions. I would.”
In response, conservative leader Richard Viguerie told LifeSiteNews, “. . . he has zero chance of accomplishing that. The Republican Party is not going to change. We are a pro-life party, and the Republican Party is not going to change that.”
Certainly, the questions of rape, incest, or the life of the mother are terribly painful questions that deserve thoughtful and compassionate answers, especially from other women.
But if you’re pro-life, you’re pro-life. As Kristan Hawkins of Students for Life for America asked, “Does he want to put an exception into the platform saying it's OK to murder a two-year-old child whose father is a rapist, too? Or is he only OK with it as long as the child hasn't been born yet?”
In the words of Rebecca Kiessling, herself conceived by a rape, “Donald Trump has the audacity to suggest that the Republican grassroots has been wrong to believe in protecting innocent children like me who were conceived in rape. My message to Donald Trump, and others like him is this: Punish rapists, not babies!”
So much for Donald Trump being a pro-life champion and defender of conservative Christian values.
But it gets worse.
He actually criticized North Carolina’s HB2, designed to protect the safety of women and children, stating, “North Carolina did something that was very strong, and they’re paying a big price. There’s a lot of problems.”
He indicated it was best to let people use the bathroom they felt comfortable with, showing no concern for all the people affected by that decision.
Yet across America, it is conservative Christians who have raised their voices the loudest in support of bills like HB2, standing up for the safety and privacy of women and children and not wanting heterosexual predators to use the loophole of “transgender rights” to prey on our wives, children, or grandchildren.
Senator Cruz had no trouble voicing his support for HB2, stating last week that these laws made perfect sense because “men should not be going to the bathroom with little girls.”
He said, “That is a perfectly reasonable determination for the people to make.”
But of course.
In stark contrast, Trump said that Bruce (Caitlyn) Jenner would be welcome to use the ladies’ room in one of his buildings.
I wonder how his wife and daughters would feel if they were in a bathroom and a burly, transgender “woman” came walking in?
Or what if they were coming out of the shower stalls at a gym, with their towels wrapped around them, only to find a biological male sitting there in his underwear?
Would he have no problem with this?
Perhaps Donald Trump is not only failing to protect the rights and liberties of babies in the womb and conservative Christians but also of women in general?
In response to Trump’s remarks, Ted Cruz issued this statement:
“Donald Trump is no different from politically correct leftist elites. Today, he joined them in calling for grown men to be allowed to use little girls’ public restrooms. As the dad of young daughters, I dread what this will mean for our daughters - and for our sisters and our wives. It is a reckless policy that will endanger our loved ones.
“Yet Donald stands up for this irresponsible policy while at the same time caving in on defending individual freedoms and religious liberty. He has succumbed to the Left's agenda, which is to force Americans to leave God out of public life while paying lip service to false tolerance.”
Whether you like Cruz or not (I have endorsed him, but we each have to make our own choices), if you’re a conservative Christian, you have to be more comfortable with his position on these issues than with the positions of Donald Trump.
And in light of the growing tide of an increasingly irrational transactivism, Cruz was right to ask, “Have we gone stark raving nuts?”
If you’re a Trump supporter, you might say, “I know he’s not a Christian and I don’t even think he’s a real conservative, but I’m voting for him because I believe he’s the best man to fix our economy and protect our borders.”
I beg to differ, but I can respect that position.
But please don’t look to him to be a defender of conservative Christian values or a protector of religious freedoms.
Barring dramatic divine intervention in his life, you will be sadly disappointed.
Be forewarned.