Trump’s Praise of Putin for Invading Ukraine Is Inexcusable

So is the unconditional support Trump still gets from many Christians

Donald Trump made some outrageous comments about Vladimir Putin at a fundraiser recently. He praised Putin as “pretty smart” for invading Ukraine and raved about how Putin was

“taking over a country — really a vast, vast location, a great piece of land with a lot of people — and just walking right in.”

Video of Trump making those remarks can be viewed here.

As usual, evangelical leaders have refused to criticize Trump. His favorite pastor, Dr. Robert Jeffress, wrote these words:

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is an awful display of needless aggression by a glory-hungry dictator…

We should also have sympathy for the innocent victims of this unprovoked war. We should pray for a quick end to the conflict, for the safety of innocent people, and for the Christians who will surely be persecuted under Putin’s godless regime.

(Source: Dr. Jeffress’ website)

However, that pastor has not publicly condemned Trump’s remarks. He has not indicated that he has any intention of trying to persuade Trump that it is inappropriate to praise Putin for this unprovoked attack. (If you are a Christian interested in signing a petition urging him to do so, visit this website).

I suppose that is not surprising, but I find it disappointing that so many Christians continue to support Trump. They are still choosing to overlook anything he says or does that clearly goes against the teachings of Jesus or other wisdom contained in the Bible (like the Ten Commandments).

So what if he was caught on tape bragging about sexually assaulting women and has been credibly accused of doing so multiple times? (See this article for more details about the claims made by 26 different women and Trump’s responses to the allegations).

So what if he was forced to pay more than $2 million in court-ordered damages to eight different charities for illegally misusing charitable funds at the Trump Foundation for political purposes? (Source: NY Attorney General Press Release).

So what if USA Today discovered that

At least 60 lawsuits, along with hundreds of liens, judgments, and other government filings reviewed by the USA TODAY NETWORK, document people who have accused Trump and his businesses of failing to pay them for their work…

Trump’s companies have also been cited for 24 violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act since 2005 for failing to pay overtime or minimum wage, according to U.S. Department of Labor data.

So what if Trump paid $25 million to settle the class-action lawsuit brought by students of Trump University (now closed) who claimed that false advertising and high-pressure sales tactics led them to spend thousands on tuition? (Source: NBC News article)

So what if children were forcibly separated from their parents at the border and inadequate tracking efforts made later reunification difficult? So what if this 551-page detailed report concluded:

While we may never know the full extent of the damage inflicted by the Trump Administration’s family separation policy, it is evident — as a result of this investigation and public reporting — that it was driven by an Administration that was willfully blind to its cruelty and determined to go to unthinkable extremes to deliver on political promises and stop migrants fleeing violence from seeking protection in the United States

So what if Trump has repeatedly incited and even praised violence? Examples include his “Maybe he should have been roughed up” comment after a protester at one of his rallies was attacked, and this statement he made to the crowd at another campaign rally:

“If you see somebody getting ready to throw a tomato, knock the crap out of them, would you? Seriously. Just knock the hell out of them. I promise you, I will pay for the legal fees.”

For many more examples, often accompanied by videos of Trump making the statements, see this comprehensive timeline.

It is long past time for all Christians to publicly condemn the comments and behaviors of Donald Trump that are in direct opposition to the teachings of Christ.

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