Trump Inauguration Speech: Reading Between the Li(n)es

Trump Inauguration Speech: Reading Between the Li(n)es January 23, 2025

Donald Trump had a lot to say about religion in his second inaugural speech. What’s between the li(n)es? What was Trump NOT telling you?

Trump’s Inauguration Speech: Reading Between the Lines
Image by kalhh from Pixabay

My daughter has only seen one inaugural speech (Biden’s) other than Trump’s most recent one. She messaged me, noting all the religious language in his address. I told her that religious language is common in presidential speeches. You could bet money on a US President quoting scripture or at least saying “God bless America” as part of their political rhetoric.

This is part of American civil religion, and has been for generations. Politicians of all stripes know that if they appear righteous, people will vote for them and support them once elected. They have learned to appeal to Americans’ religious sentiment. So, it was no surprise that Trump’s inaugural address contained so much religious language.

 

Between the Li(n)es

But what was between the li(n)es in the US President’s speech? There’s what a person says, and then there’s what they mean. What was Donald Trump NOT telling you in his speech?

There is so much I could write about as I analyze this inaugural address. I have a lot that I’d like to say about Trump’s politics—and I will not refrain in future writing. But the purpose of this and my next two articles will be to focus on what Trump said about religion—both overtly and covertly. So, instead of looking at the entire speech, I’ll stick to his religion-oriented quotes. And they aren’t sparse.

 

“Give People Back Their Faith”

“My recent election is a mandate to completely and totally reverse a horrible betrayal, and all of these many betrayals that have taken place, and to give the people back their faith, their wealth, their democracy and, indeed, their freedom.”

Donald Trump sees himself as someone who can give people back their faith. Sure, many people in the US have lost their faith. In my article, “Youth Leave U.S. Pews Like Rats from a Sinking Church,” I discuss the decline of the Church in America. And young people aren’t the only ones abandoning formal religion. Many have left the Church in recent years. In “For All Who Have Walked Out of Church,” I discuss the many reasons, including hurt, judgment, and intellectual honesty, that lead to people’s decision to leave Church.  I write:

“Politics may have played a part in your decision to leave. When Christians wed religion to politics, it makes for an awfully bad marriage. If your church leaders have a political agenda, it turns you off. If fellow church members expect you to vote like them, it might make you feel unwelcome. If you’ve noticed a disconnect between what people say they believe morally, and how they vote politically, you might decide to give up on the church.”

Trump has it wrong. He won’t be giving people back their faith. What Trump isn’t telling you is that many people say they have walked out of the Church specifically because of its indorsement of Trump. They see the hypocrisy of people who claim to follow Jesus, but who vote for a man who represents everything that opposes the reign of God and the person of Jesus. So, no—Trump will not be giving people back their faith. If anything, this next presidency will see an increased decline in the Church as disenfranchised and disillusioned people run faster and farther than they did in his last term.

 

 

“Our Nation’s Glorious Destiny”

“Our liberties and our nation’s glorious destiny will no longer be denied, and we will immediately restore the integrity, competency and loyalty of America’s government.”

Donald Trump loves to use the word “destiny.” On the surface, it seems like an innocuous enough word. We use it in rom-coms to describe two people who are meant to be together. You hear it in the context of motivational and personal development—as in, “Take my course and learn to take control of your destiny!” But this word has two other contexts. I’ll hold one in my back pocket for later. Here, I’ll only talk about the religious context.

Many religions and spiritual traditions use the word “destiny” to describe a divine plan. While Trump seems to have no spiritual convictions of his own, he panders to the religious crowd by using this word. He knows that those who voted for him labeled him as “The Chosen One.” He even called himself that when discussing his trade war with China. What Trump isn’t telling you is that he doesn’t really believe in a divine plan. But he’s perfectly happy for his followers to believe he’s a new American messiah.

 

“My Life Was Saved for a Reason”

“Just a few months ago, in a beautiful Pennsylvania field, an assassin’s bullet ripped through my ear. But I felt then, and believe even more so now, that my life was saved for a reason. I was saved by God to make America great again.”

Conspiracy theories abound, regarding what transpired on July 13, 2024. People still throw around their opinions about the shooter, the police, the projectile, and whether or not the whole thing was staged. Maybe one day we’ll have all the facts and there will be no more theories. At least, regarding the earthly events that happened that day.

But what Trump isn’t telling you is that it’s outrageous to claim that God saved his life to make America great again. Nobody knows the mind of God. While I sympathize with a traumatized individual attempting to manufacture meaning out of an assassination attempt, he does not have the right to declare God’s purpose in the event. While we’re all entitled to a theological opinion, his statement is more about grandiosity and his savior complex than it is about anything else.

 

Inaugural Address: What is Trump NOT Telling You?

In summary, Trump believes it’s possible for him to give people back their faith. He vowed to lead people toward their God-ordained destiny. And he specifically said God saved him to make America great again. These are but the first three of the nine religious statements Trump made during his inaugural speech.

I hope you’ll join me for my next article, where I continue this look at the religious aspects of Trump’s inaugural address. In “Inaugural Address: What is Trump NOT Telling You?” I will examine Trump’s statements:

  • “Every race, religion, color, and creed”
  • “We will not forget our God”
  • “Two genders: male and female”

I hope you’ll join me as we continue to read between the li(n)es, and see what Trump’s NOT telling you.

 

For related reading, check out my other articles:

About Gregory T. Smith
I live in the beautiful Fraser Valley of British Columbia and work in northern Washington State as a behavioral health specialist with people experiencing homelessness and those who are overly involved in the criminal justice system. Before that, I spent over a quarter-century as lead pastor of several Virginia churches. My newspaper column, “Spirit and Truth” ran in Virginia newspapers for fifteen years. I am one of fourteen contributing authors of the Patheos/Quoir Publishing book “Sitting in the Shade of another Tree: What We Learn by Listening to Other Faiths.” I hold a degree in Religious Studies from Virginia Commonwealth University, and also studied at Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond. My wife Christina and I have seven children between us, and we are still collecting grandchildren. You can read more about the author here.
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