Share this page!

Enter URL or ID to Unroll

You can paste full URL like: https://x.com/threadreaderapp/status/1644127596119195649
or just the ID like: 1644127596119195649

How to get URL link on X (Twitter) App

  1. On the Twitter thread, click on or icon on the bottom
  2. Click again on or Share Via icon
  3. Click on Copy Link to Tweet
  4. Paste it above and click "Unroll Thread"!
  5. More info at Twitter Help
McKay Coppins Profile picture
@mckaycoppins
Sep 29, 2020 • 11 tweets • 5 min read • Read on X
Former aides say they’ve heard Trump privately ridicule conservative religious leaders, dismiss faith groups with cartoonish stereotypes, and deride rites and doctrines held sacred by many in his base.

My story on what Trump really thinks about religion: theatlantic.com/politics/archi…
When Trump learned about a megachurch pastor trying to raise $60 million to buy a private jet, he was delighted by the "scam," according to Michael Cohen, and eager to highlight that the pastor was "full of sh*t."

"They're all hustlers," Trump said.

theatlantic.com/politics/archi…
One former Trump adviser told me he seems to feel a kind of kinship with certain prosperity gospel preachers: theatlantic.com/politics/archi…
I obtained a recording of a private meeting Trump had with religious right leaders in 2016. It's pretty revealing (especially when considering that, per Pew, most rank-and-file white evangelicals believe Trump is a religious man). theatlantic.com/politics/archi…
Once, years ago, Melania informed Trump that their son was at a playdate with a Jewish girl from his school. “Great,” Trump said to Michael Cohen, who is Jewish. “I’m going to lose another one of my kids to your people.” theatlantic.com/politics/archi…
Don Jr. has been so savvy in courting Latter-day Saints—expressing interest in the Church’s history, reading from the Book of Mormon—that he’s left some influential Republicans in the state with the impression that he may want to convert. theatlantic.com/politics/archi…
Trump has frequently made fun of Mitt Romney’s faith in private—and was especially vicious when he learned about the religious undergarments worn by many Mormons. “Oh my god,” Cohen said. “How many times did he bring up Mitt Romney and the undergarments" theatlantic.com/politics/archi…
When I asked the White House about these anecdotes, a spokesman touted Trump's record on religious freedom and abortion, then added: “The president is also well known for joking and his terrific sense of humor, which he shares with people of all faiths.” theatlantic.com/politics/archi…
I know the "fake news!" response is a reflex at this point, but the president's apologists may want to pause and consider why the White House didn't dispute any of the details in this story. They pointed, instead, to his "terrific sense of humor." theatlantic.com/politics/archi…
Some Trump apologists are defending him here by drawing distinctions between pastors like Benny Hinn/Creflo Dollar and other, more virtuous religious leaders. That's reasonable! Do you think Trump draws that distinction? ("They're all hustlers," he said.) theatlantic.com/politics/archi…
(And just for the record, because my mentions are insane: I'm not here for the "Trump's right, religious people are the worst!" tweets. I'm a person of faith, and I have no interest in glibly mocking others' beliefs. Wish that could be said of everyone...) theatlantic.com/politics/archi…

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
　

Keep Current with McKay Coppins

McKay Coppins Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @mckaycoppins

McKay Coppins Profile picture
Jan 4
Incredible: 64% of Republicans say Donald Trump is a "person of faith." Only 34% say Mitt Romney is. deseret.com/2024/1/3/23982…
Image
In case you're curious, here's a piece I wrote in 2020 about how Donald Trump talks about faith in private: theatlantic.com/politics/archi…
And here's an excerpt from my book, about how Mitt Romney was shaped by this 30-month Latter-day Saint mission: deseret.com/2023/10/19/239…
Read 4 tweets
McKay Coppins Profile picture
Mar 21, 2023
I sat in on a series of focus groups to see what Republican primary voters think of Mike Pence. It was absolutely brutal. My story: theatlantic.com/politics/archi…
Some quotes I jotted down when Mike Pence came up in the focus groups:

“He’s only gonna get the vote from his family, and I’m not even sure if they like him”

“He has alienated every Republican…It’s over. It’s retirement time"

“He just needs to go away”
theatlantic.com/politics/archi…
Of the 34 Republicans who participated across four focus groups, I only heard four people say they’d consider Pence for president—and two of them immediately started talking themselves out of it after indicating interest. theatlantic.com/politics/archi…
Read 9 tweets
McKay Coppins Profile picture
Mar 20, 2023
Brutal. The alt-weekly in Colorado Springs—which recently combined with several sister publications—discovered $300K in "unaccounted-for debt" and had to lay off about half its staff. They started a GoFundMe to raise $250K 3 days ago. They've raised $540. gofundme.com/f/save-sixty35…
This gets at one of the most discouraging things I heard from local reporters while writing this piece in 2021. People in their markets still read and relied on their work, but few were interested in rallying to save the local paper from extinction. theatlantic.com/magazine/archi…
One of the reasons for public ambivalence/apathy is that local newspapers rarely generate the same uncomplicated warmth that, say, a beloved local bakery does. Good journalism, by definition, often annoys people! That doesn't make it less essential.
Read 6 tweets
McKay Coppins Profile picture
Mar 16, 2023
A fascinating (and kind of hilarious) finding in this Pew survey: Mormons are among the least popular religious groups in America. They are also the only group that expresses a net favorable opinion of *every other group,* including Muslims and atheists. pewresearch.org/religion/2023/… Image
Mormons: You probably don't like us, but we like you!
I do think it's notable that Mormons have a *far* more favorable opinion of Muslims than any other group does. I once talked to an imam who served in Utah about how local Mormons interacted with his mosque. theatlantic.com/magazine/archi… Image
Read 4 tweets
McKay Coppins Profile picture
Mar 13, 2023
My theory is that a large and growing number of prominent conservatives (politicians, media personalities, etc.) are incapable of even feigning fluency in fiscal policy because they've been talking about culture war stuff nonstop for like eight years.
The culture war stuff was always there, obviously. But the biggest voices on the right in 2009-2012 also had their talking points down on regulation, the financial sector, spending, deficits, jobs, etc. Now the instinct is to pivot immediately to... dunking on DEI?
(I have a related theory that political reporters who came of age in the Trump era are, on average, less fluent in fiscal policy—and possibly just policy in general—than those who did in the Obama/Tea Party/recession years. For obvious reasons!)
Read 4 tweets
McKay Coppins Profile picture
Jan 30, 2023
Faced with the prospect of a 2024 dominated by Trump and uncertain that he can actually be beaten in the primaries, many Republicans are quietly praying for something to happen that will make him go away.

My latest, on the GOP's deus ex machina dream:
theatlantic.com/politics/archi…
In conversations with more than a dozen GOP officials and strategists, I heard a number of hopeful hypotheticals: Maybe Trump will get indicted. Maybe he'll get bored and quit. Maybe he'll die. One thing I didn't hear: Eagerness to directly confront him.
theatlantic.com/politics/archi…
“You have a lot of folks who are just wishing for [Trump’s] mortal demise,” former congressman Peter Meijer told me of his fellow Republicans. He termed this strategy for dealing with Trump "actuarial arbitrage."
theatlantic.com/politics/archi…
Read 6 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!

This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Don't want to be a Premium member but still want to support us?

Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Or Donate anonymously using crypto!

Ethereum

0xfe58350B80634f60Fa6Dc149a72b4DFbc17D341E copy

Bitcoin

3ATGMxNzCUFzxpMCHL5sWSt4DVtS8UqXpi copy

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us!

Send Email!

:(