Thread by @sarahposner

Can we have a conversation (i.e., a thread) about Trump's tweet falsely claiming that Democrats want to "shut your churches down, permanently"? 1/x

This false claim--that Democrats are anti-religion, and in particular, anti-Christian--has been baked into the Christian right ideology for decades.

Trump has just weaponized it in new ways. 2/x

The pandemic is another weapon for them in their arsenal to attack Democrats as anti-Christian. There are dozens of lawsuits across the country (some joined by DOJ, led by Barr, who has made clear his antipathy to what he calls "militant secularists." 3/x

Even the Supreme Court has upheld COVID restrictions, finding they do not target churches and apply to gatherings based on size, indoors, etc. and therefore are not unconstitutional. 4/x

John Roberts sided with the court's liberals in those cases, which were 5-4.

Now it would be 4-4.

With Barrett?

5/x

Back to Trump. He is using this false claim that Democrats are bent on shutting down *"your"* churches (i.e., his base's churches) in particular.

It's a lie.

But he is constantly positioning himself as the base's strongman savior. 6/x

He also knows that many in the base are willing to have indoor church, are angry that they can't, or only can with restrictions. He wants to project not only that he is defeating COVID (even if he isn't) but simultaneously being their most ardent defender. 7/x

Barrett is key to this strategy.

McConnell is playing along, accusing Barrett critics of attacking her faith, something he claims is a "disgrace."

https://twitter.com/senatemajldr/status/1313813018241896449

8/x

This strategy--accusing Dems of being "anti-Christian" or "anti-Catholic"--is not new with Barrett. There's a very long history, which I detailed here: 9/x

thenation.com/article/archiv…

It's not just with judicial nominations, though. The false claim that Democrats are anti-Christian runs so deep and long in Christian nationalist mythology that Trump did not have to create new arguments; he just had to present himself as the savior from this supposed evil. 10/x

See UNHOLY, p. 29 11/x

All the chaos? It’s part of God’s plan.

UNHOLY, p. 31 12/x

Trump’s success is “supernatural.”

UNHOLY, pp. 66-67. 13/x

So you see just this week his son Eric claiming that Trump "literally saved Christianity." 14/x

https://twitter.com/KFILE/status/1313551528649658368

Which of course is ludicrous and comical but also--you must understand--a further signal to the base that he will do whatever it takes to protect what they conceive of as their religious freedom rights in the face of secularism. 15/x

So that is through Bill Barr, through judicial nominations, through federal agency actions, regulations, executive orders and, sure, even pretense.

Like the pretense that Trump is well and strong, like any believer in the prosperity gospel would believe. 16/x

That he has God's hand/blessing/anointing. That believers and those blessed by God will have wealth and health. That he can speak things--including his health--into existence. 17/x

Their false claims that Democrats are anti-Christian, and all the actions that flow from those false claims, are a threat to our democracy.

Please read UNHOLY.

18/18