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Hey, it's Will Salatan from the Bulwark. So, last week, Donald Trump spoke at the National Prayer Breakfast. So it's one of many speeches that he's given that are supposed to be about faith. But there's something a little bit off about what Trump actually says in these speeches, almost like he's the exact opposite of a real Christian. So what I want to do today is just take you through some of the most obvious moral instructions in the Bible, and let's see how well Trump stacks up against what the Bible says. So let's start with the basics. The Ten Commandments. Here's an easy one. You shall not steal. Pretty simple. So, for example, Venezuela has oil. So it would be wrong for us to go to Venezuela and attack their country and take over their oil industry and make them give us 50 million barrels of oil. Right. So let's hear what Trump said at the prayer breakfast about that.
C
In fact, we have 50 million barrels of oil floating right now over to Houston.
B
That's Venezuela's oil. We didn't pay for it. We just went in and we kidnapped their dictator, and then we told them that we would attack their country again if they didn't let us control their oil. So they gave us 50 million barrels of oil. That's theft. We stole their oil, and Trump at a prayer breakfast is bragging about it. Okay, so let's try another obvious commandment here's. One you shall not murder. So, for example, if an army officer was convicted by our own military courts of murdering, murdering civilians, it would be wrong to let him walk free, Right? But that is exactly what Trump did. In fact, he let several convicted or accused murderers in our military walk free. And here he is at the prayer breakfast bragging about it.
C
They have arrested American soldiers because they taught them how to fight, and they fought really well, and they won every battle. And now they put them in jail because they said they were too tough. I said, so how Many are there? 22. And some of these guys were on the edge. They were fairly tough, wouldn't you say, Pete? But, you know, it's true. We teach people how to fight, and then you put them in jail because they fought a little bit too hard, and we took care of a lot of business.
B
Oh, they just fought a little too hard. The Bible says, don't murder people, but Trump says, if you do and you're wearing our uniform, it's okay with me. Okay, how about this? You shall not bear false witness. Tell the truth. Don't make things up. So, for example, it would be wrong to make up a story about something Joe Biden said about the US Withdrawal from Afghanistan, right? But here's what Trump said at the prayer breakfast about that.
C
We rebuilt the military. You know, Biden gave a little chunk of it to Afghanistan brilliantly. He left, left tanks and planes and, you know, little things. I said, why didn't you fly the planes out? He said, well, nobody thought of it. You could have flown.
B
Yeah, that never happened. Biden never said any such thing to Trump. Trump just made it up. And here's another thing he made up about the 2020 election. Listen to what the audience does when Trump says this about Democrats and then.
C
They rig the election.
B
Did you hear the laughter? This is a religious audience, a Christian audience. Trump is lying about the election being rigged. In fact, that is the most thoroughly debunked lie in the world at this point. They know he's lying and they laugh. So it's not just Trump who's mocking the Bible. It's the audience. Okay, let's try one more commandment. You shall not take the name of the Lord in vain. That means, for example, don't use God's name to promote yourself or your own agenda. But that is exactly what Trump has done in every one of these speeches. For example, here's what he said in September in a speech to the White House Religious Liberty Commission. He's talking here about the fight for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016.
C
We were fighting it out, and we had actually 18 candidates, including me. And Ben came up to me right after the first debate. He said, you know you're going to win, don't you? He said, no, you're going to win it because God wants you to win it.
B
Again, you heard the applause. This is a religious. A religious audience. That speech was literally at the Museum of the Bible. Trump is telling them, he's telling them that God chose him over 17 other Republicans. He's taking God's name in vain, and that audience is applauding him. Okay, so Trump's not doing too well on the Ten Commandments, so let's see how he does on some other rules from the New Testament. Again, let's pick something easy. The Sermon on the Mount. This is the Gospel of Matthew, quoting Jesus. Here's an obvious one. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. How's Trump doing on meekness?
C
They rigged the second election. I had to win it. Had to win it. I needed it for my own ego. I would have had a bad ego for the rest of my life. Now I really have a big ego, though.
B
Yeah, not too meek. Okay, but how about this one? Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Okay? That's a message from Jesus to be humble and to seek God's grace and forgiveness. So how's Trump doing on that? Well, here he is last July, speaking at a luncheon for the White House Faith Office.
C
I got indicted five times, impeached two times. All bullshit, right? Terrible stuff. And I got impeached for making a perfect phone call.
B
I'm not hearing a lot of moral humility there. Not a lot of, you know, interest in repenting or being forgiven. What I'm hearing, again, is laughter from people who claim to be religious. Okay, so here's another teaching from the Sermon on the don't judge or you too will be judged. So did Trump humble himself and refrain from judging others at that prayer breakfast? Here's what he said about a Republican Congressman, Thomas Massie.
C
Now, no matter what we do, this moron, no matter what it is.
B
And here's what Trump said about Joe Biden.
C
I call him Crooked Joe and Sleepy Joe. I find them to be equal, actually. I say I do polls. Which is better, Crooked Joe or Sleepy Joe? And they poll about even.
B
And here's what he said about Jerome Powell, the chairman of the Federal Reserve.
C
I tried being nice to the guy. It doesn't help. He's like a Knucklehead. He's a knucklehead. Stupid guy. He really is.
B
Again, you can hear the laughter. You can hear how truly unchristian these people are. Jesus had a message specifically for people who behave this way, people who belittle others. He said, don't be a hypocrite. Here's the verse from the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus said, why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? But that's exactly what Trump does. He accuses other people of sins that he himself routinely commits. Here he is at the prayer breakfast.
C
Obama was very bad, terrible divider of our country. He divided our. He was a divider.
B
Oh, yeah, Obama. Obama was a divider. Not Trump. Obama. Obama was the divider. And here's Trump at the Museum of the Bible talking about Biden.
C
He's a mean guy, actually. Not a smart guy, never was, but he was a mean guy. No, he was a mean guy.
B
Oh, yeah. Biden was mean. Not Trump. Biden was. I mean, Trump is literally standing there being mean and divisive, right? As he calls other presidents mean and divisive. And the audience isn't even embarrassed at this obvious hypocrisy. They're enjoying it. They're laughing along with it. Okay, here's another teaching from Jesus. Love your enemies. But that's not what Trump says, right? You know, here's what he said about loving your enemies last fall at the memorial service for Charlie Kirk.
C
He did not hate his opponents. He wanted the best for them. That's where I disagreed with Charlie. I hate my opponent, and I don't want the best for them. I'm sorry.
B
You can see what happened there. The speechwriters, Trump, speechwriters put the Christian message on the teleprompter. Essentially, don't hate your enemies. And Trump looked at that message, and then he turned away from the teleprompter and said, no, no, I hate my opponents. Jesus says, you should empathize with your opponents. You should treat them the way you would want to be treated. Here's the verse. Do to others what you would have them do to you. And here's another verse where he says, you should be merciful, and he says, you should forgive other people when they sin against you. But Trump says the opposite. He bragged at the prayer breakfast about humiliating his opponents. He said it made him feel great.
C
Beating these lunatics was incredible, right? What a great feeling, winning every swing state, winning the popular Vote.
B
Trump doesn't just love winning, he loves watching other people suffer. Again, these are his own words at the Museum of the Bible about Joe.
C
Biden and his administration was one of the meanest we've ever had, and that's why they're out of here. And people, they're having a hard time getting jobs, and that's the way it should be.
B
They can't get jobs. And Trump loves it. Jesus said, don't think that way. Here's one of his most famous teachings from the Sermon on the Mount. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, he says, turn to them the other cheek also. But Trump again says the opposite. Here's what he said at the Museum of the Bible.
C
You know, when you have horrible killings, you have to take horrible actions.
B
And here's what he said at the prayer breakfast about his bombing on of Islamic militants in Nigeria.
C
When Christians come under attack, they know they're going to be attacked violently and viciously by President Trump. I know it's not a nice thing to say, but that's the way it is.
B
Now. You might say to yourself, well, he's talking about war, right? Okay. He's advocating violence and he's committing violence, but he's doing it against killers. Right? But I want you to hear what Trump said at the Museum of the Bible about violence. Not in war, but in your own home.
C
Things that take place in the home they call crime, you know, they'll do anything they can to find something. If a man has a little fight with the wife, they say, this was a crime.
B
See, I'm sorry, we just gotta pause right there. Jesus literally said, if you get slapped on the cheek, turn the other cheek. But Trump says basically, if you get slapped by your spouse, you can slap her right back. In fact, you can slap her first. It's just a little fight with the wife. Couple more things. Here's what Jesus says about money. Don't store up treasures on earth. He says you can't serve both God and money. But Trump makes it pretty clear that he does serve money, and it's not just stealing the oil from Venezuela. Here's Trump at last year's prayer breakfast talking about his energy secretary.
C
He's going to have more liquid gold coming out of the ground than anybody's ever seen before. We're going to drive the price down and everything else is going to follow.
B
And then here's what Trump said a few seconds later about his interior secretary.
C
Because he made his money, made a lot of money, which I like. I like People that make money because that means they can help us.
B
This is a prayer breakfast. But Trump cannot stop talking about money and how much he loves rich people. In fact, here's Trump three months after that prayer breakfast at a White House ceremony that was supposed to be. It was supposed to honor the National Day of Prayer. What does Trump decide to bring up instead?
C
Tax cuts doesn't pass. Your taxes are going to go up 68%. So think of it. 68. And this is a religious ceremony to me. But that, that's part of the religion. Because if your taxes go up 68%, you might give up your religion.
B
If your taxes go up, you'll give up your faith. Look, this is clearly a guy who has no idea what faith actually means. Okay, one more topic. Here's what Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount about showing off, showing off your piety. He says, don't act righteous or religious in front of other people. It's not for show. Real faith is what you do when nobody's looking. But to Trump, everything, everything is about showing off. Here's what he said last week at the prayer breakfast.
C
You know, I've done more for religion than any other president. When Paula was saying that it was so nice, I was proud of it, and I said, that's true.
B
I told the people backstage, that's Trump in a nutshell. I've done more for religion than any other president. Look, to Trump, God isn't real. God is. He's just a prop in a show that's all about Trump. And religion is just another thing Trump can claim to be better at than any other president. And all that crap in the Bible about love and mercy and humility and repentance, it's all just a bunch of words that Trump can read from a teleprompter without believing or living any of it. See you next time.
Date: February 11, 2026
Host: The Bulwark Team (Speaker: Will Saletan)
In this episode, Will Saletan scrutinizes Donald Trump’s recent appearance at the National Prayer Breakfast, critically assessing Trump’s public statements by comparing them directly to fundamental Christian teachings. Through a review of Trump’s speech, Saletan highlights the contradictions between Trump’s rhetoric and core biblical principles, particularly the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount. The episode questions not only Trump’s relationship to Christian values but also the complicity of religious audiences who applaud or laugh at these moments.
“You shall not steal”
“That’s Venezuela’s oil. We didn’t pay for it. We just went in and we kidnapped their dictator, and then we told them that we would attack their country again if they didn’t let us control their oil.”
— Will Saletan [02:23]
“You shall not murder”
“They have arrested American soldiers... We teach people how to fight, and then you put them in jail because they fought a little bit too hard, and we took care of a lot of business.”
— Trump [03:29]
“You shall not bear false witness”
“They rig the election.” — Trump [05:11]
“You shall not take the name of the Lord in vain”
“You’re going to win it because God wants you to win it.” — Trump [06:14]
Blessed are the meek / poor in spirit
“I needed it for my own ego. Now I really have a big ego, though.” — Trump [07:31]
Do not judge, or you too will be judged
Love your enemies
“I hate my opponent, and I don’t want the best for them. I’m sorry.” — Trump [11:19]
Mercy and forgiveness
“Beating these lunatics was incredible, right? What a great feeling, winning every swing state...” — Trump [12:22]
“Biden and his administration was one of the meanest...they’re having a hard time getting jobs, and that’s the way it should be.” — Trump [12:40]
Turn the other cheek
“When you have horrible killings, you have to take horrible actions.” — Trump [13:16]
“If a man has a little fight with the wife, they say, this was a crime.” — Trump [14:00]
“He’s going to have more liquid gold coming out of the ground than anybody’s ever seen before.” — Trump [14:57]
“He made a lot of money, which I like…I like people that make money.” — Trump [15:11]
“If your taxes go up 68%, you might give up your religion.” — Trump [15:41]
“I’ve done more for religion than any other president. When Paula was saying that, it was so nice...” — Trump [16:35]
On stealing and Venezuela:
“That’s Venezuela’s oil. We didn’t pay for it. We just went in and...told them we would attack their country again if they didn’t let us control their oil.”
— Will Saletan [02:23]
On military pardons:
“We teach people how to fight, and then you put them in jail because they fought a little bit too hard, and we took care of a lot of business.”
— Trump [03:29]
On the 2020 Election and audience reactions:
“They rig the election.”
— Trump [05:11]
“Did you hear the laughter? This is a religious audience, a Christian audience. Trump is lying…and they laugh.”
— Will Saletan [05:15]
Rejecting “love your enemies”:
“I hate my opponent, and I don’t want the best for them.”
— Trump [11:19]
On violence at home:
“If a man has a little fight with the wife, they say, this was a crime.”
— Trump [14:00]
Money and faith conflated:
“If your taxes go up 68%, you might give up your religion.”
— Trump [15:41]
Self-promotion at a prayer breakfast:
“I’ve done more for religion than any other president.”
— Trump [16:35]
The tone is pointed, sometimes incredulous, with Saletan maintaining a blend of factual analysis and sharp criticism. Direct quotations from both Trump and Saletan illustrate the disconnect between Trump’s statements and Christian doctrine, using the guest’s own words to drive the critique. The language is accessible, candid, and often employs irony or sarcasm to underscore the disconnect between statement and principle.
Saletan ultimately argues that Trump’s rhetoric and behavior at religious gatherings starkly contradict basic Christian ethics, and he points to the audience’s laughter and applause as evidence of widespread moral compromise. The episode is a call to reflect on the authenticity of public faith and warns against exchanging moral substance for partisan spectacle.