Who Is Buying Trump Bibles?
Tuesday, March 26, 2024 is a day that will live in infamy — because a former President announced their monetization of a religious text to cover legal fees.
On his platform, Truth Social, Donald Trump released a three minute video holding up a Bible and offering commentary such as, “make America pray again.” That’s right. For $59.99, consumers can purchase a Bible/Constitution, and a portion of the proceeds will contribute to the Trump Campaign and his legal fund.
A self-proclaimed devout Christian, the former President wasted no time in profoundly conveying his love for the faith in the short video: “All Americans need a Bible in their home, and I have many. It’s my favorite book.” Despite this convincing line, Mr. Trump most likely doesn’t privately practice religion, as he once was unable to name a single verse or indicate whether he preferred the old or new testament.
He also gave more ominous statements that seemed to push the boundaries of church and state: “Our founding fathers did a tremendous thing when they built America on Judeo-Christian values. Now, that foundation is under attack.” In reality, most founding fathers were deists, believing that God did exist but that he played no role in human activity. Thus, it is factually incorrect to say that the founding fathers intended America to be a Christian state. In fact, Thomas Jefferson himself fought fiercely to secure separation of church and state in Virginia and at the federal level.
The announcement of the presidentially-endorsed Bible comes conveniently soon after a court ordered Mr. Trump to pay a $175 million fine for claiming his net worth was higher when he wanted loans, and conversely stating it was lower when he needed to pay taxes. In legalese, this is called fraud.
Not long prior to this, Mr. Trump revealed the “Trump Never Surrender Sneakers,” a pair of shoes covered in gold with stars and stripes around the ankle. They cost $400.
The logical question is whether these products are selling. While the Trump Bibles are too recent as of writing this to know sales numbers, we do know that his sneakers sold out quickly after launch. We also know that, although there may technically be less registered Republicans than Democrats, Trump supporters are highly loyal and willing to contribute. After the 2020 election, then-President Trump received plentiful donations to fund what would become months of unsuccessful attempts to challenge his electoral loss before the transfer of power.
So who’s buying these products?
The answer is anyone who’s convinced of Mr. Trump’s story about the 2020 election. Verifying the objective truth isn’t easy because of the constant media noise. Cable news doesn’t profit from telling the truth; rather, they profit from fearmongering and engaging the audience. Media outlets like Fox News deliberately disseminated stories about fake ballots being pulled from boxes to frighten its audience into watching more. For example, the Trump Campaign cherry-picked security footage to make it appear as though election workers at one facility were counting fake ballots from boxes under the table.
Why This Matters
Ultimately, the Trump-endorsed Bible is nothing new. The divisive political figure has engaged in countless similar ventures which consist primarily of slapping his name onto random products. However, the strong appeal of Trump to the Christian Nationalist movement should concern you. Selling a religious text with the Constitution implies a connection between church and state, two institutions which the founders explicitly desired to remain separate. The product itself doesn’t matter, but what it shows about Trump certainly does.
