There were plenty of troubling moments during the string of inauguration events for the second presidency of Donald Trump. These include the multiple times Trump lied during his inaugural address and other appearances (including when he insulted the courageous firefighters in California by claiming the LA fires were burning “without even a token of defense”), Elon Musk’s Nazi-or-Nazi-ish salute, Proud Boys marching in Washington, DC, and the presence of the tech overlords on the stage in the Capitol Rotunda sucking up to Trump. (Did you see Jeff Bezos waving at Trump?) But one of the most disturbing displays of Trumpism came at the start of his “victory rally,” held on Sunday at the Capitol One arena in downtown Washington, DC.
After tens of thousands of Trump fanatics stood on line in rain and sleet for hours and failed to gain entry—thousands of seats were reserved for Trump donors and VIPs—the event opened with a prayer from Angela Halili and Arielle Reitsma, two Hollywood actors (with middling resumés) who host a Christian podcast called Girls Gone Bible. (The two, who preach sobriety and modesty, have drawn criticism for posting sexy snaps of themselves.)
It’s hardly unusual for a Trump rally to begin with a Christian invocation. But this introduction had a sharp Christian nationalism vibe. Halili shouted, “Thank you, Jesus, for today. Seriously!” Then she reworked the Lord’s Prayer to include Trump: “Your kingdom come, Lord. Your will be done on Earth, as it is in heaven. In America, as it is in Heaven. In the life of President Donald Trump, as it is in heaven.” This rewrite rankled some, including Jenna Ellis, the former Trump campaign attorney, who retweeted a social media post that accused Halili of butchering the classic prayer and that added, “YIKES. Welcome to North Korea.”
Reitsma then weighed in, thanking God for “choosing President Donald Trump as a vessel for your nation.” As is customary in such instances, she beseeched God to look out for Trump: “I pray that you will protect his mind and guard his heart. I pray that you will place a shield around our president, his family, and upon this nation.” She added, “That when opposition comes his way, may you provide angelic protection.” That seemed close to suggesting that God ought to intervene if critics or opponents seek to challenge Trump.
Reistma also pleaded with God to whip up a “revival in this nation” so we “get back to the heart of the matter and that is you, Jesus… May that be the very foundation of this nation.”
Halili had a similar request. “Lord,” she said, “I ask that you will unleash your power upon this nation. I pray this country be washed by your blood, your precious blood. I pray that a holy fire will rain down.” She prayed for people to “provide for the poor, care for the sick,” and she delivered an abridged version of Jesus’ admonition in Matthew 25: “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat. I was a stranger and you invited me in. Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” She did not acknowledge she was speaking to a crowd of people who worship a man who vowed to enact mass deportation and to end refugee assistance programs.
The kicker came when Halili closed their invocation by returning to the notion that God ought to stand against Trump’s enemies: “So President Trump, we set the name of the Lord upon you, and we declare that no weapon formed against you will prosper. That every tongue that rises up against you in judgement will be condemned. And if God be for you, who can be against you?”
That was harsh stuff, the rhetoric of Christian nationalism and fundamentalism. Anyone who dares speak against Trump ought to be condemned by God. It’s one thing to pray for the safety and well-being of the president and to ask God to keep an eye out for the guy and grant him wisdom. It’s quite another to declare a president the extension of God and to call on the Lord to smite those who criticize the fellow.
The audience cheered.
Next up at the rally was Kid Rock, the rocker-rapper who once wrote a song with this line: “Young ladies, young ladies, I like ’em underage see. Some say that’s statutory. (But I say it’s mandatory).”
Two hours after the Girls Gone Bible gals blessed the event—and pleaded for all people to become more loving of one another—Trump appeared and delivered one of his long and rambling addresses filled with divisive language, falsehoods, and derisive attacks on his detractors and political opponents. When he was done, he and the crowd danced to “YMCA,” the gay anthem.
