The Tim & April Show — Episode 57: “Conservative Christians Love Trump’s Sh*t”

Date: October 24, 2025
Podcast Network: The New Evangelicals
Hosts: Tim Whitaker and April Ajoy
Episode Theme: Faith, Politics, and the Rise of Christian Nationalism under Trump

Episode Overview

Tim Whitaker and April Ajoy return from a brief break to tackle an especially eventful week in U.S. politics and faith culture. The episode zeroes in on the massive nationwide "No Kings" protests in response to Trump’s authoritarianism, the troubling embrace and defense of Trump by conservative Christians, the weaponization of faith in politics, and the disturbing rightward lurch toward Christian nationalism and even fascism within the GOP. Tim and April draw deeply on personal experience, academic data, and viral moments from the week's events, offering both critical commentary and a call to reclaim Christianity for justice and love.

Key Segments & Discussion Points

1. Community Recap and “No Kings” Protests (05:08–08:58)

• April shares her experience at the No Kings protest in Lexington, KY with her mother:
  • Describes a “100% peaceful” demonstration, marked by community singing, chanting, and Christian-themed protest signs.
  • April: “We were there, it was 100% peaceful. They sang songs and we did chants and it was just a good time, you know, of people being out there using their free speech and protesting, which is a beautiful thing, I think.” (05:10)
  • Her signs: “Trump or Jesus – Can’t Serve Both.” Her mother’s: “Love Thy Neighbor” and “What you do to the least of these, you do to me.”
• Tim remarks on the power of in-person solidarity:
  “It’s also nice to meet…people who are like, I listen to your show and it’s so helpful… It’s good… to be in community with actual people and not just names on the screen.” (06:20)

2. Media & MAGA Response: Downplaying & Demonizing Protesters (07:34–10:14)

• No evidence of violence at protests, despite right-wing fearmongering.
• MAGA influencers attended protests hoping for conflict, left undisturbed—contradicting Fox News narratives.
• April discusses the online backlash:
  • Protest photos garner slurs like “dumb sluts” and “worship Satan,” ignoring the overtly Christian messaging of the signs.
  • April: “They can’t accept the fact that some people used to be Republican, are still Christian, read the teachings of Jesus objectively and realize you cannot follow the teachings of Jesus while supporting the MAGA movement 100%.” (09:16)

3. Trump’s AI “Sh*tting on Protesters” Video & Authoritarian Symbolism (13:31–17:15)

• April and Tim react to Trump’s reposting of an AI video depicting himself as king, literally dumping feces on peaceful American protestors.
• Tim: “He’s literally shitting on American citizens exercising their First Amendment rights.” (15:06)
• The hosts reject defenses that it was “just trolling,” noting the seriousness and frequency of authoritarian symbolism from Trump.

4. Christian Nationalist Rhetoric, Media Spin, and Hypocrisy (18:37–22:04)

• Trump and MAGA figures self-style as “kings,” yet claim Obama and Biden were authoritarians—projection and hypocrisy.
• “Every accusation is a confession.”
• Caroline Levitt and others demonize all Democrats as violent or criminal, contradicting protest reality.
• April: “They do not care that they’re hypocritical because you don’t compromise with the enemy… For them, people like you or the liberals or whoever else, the immigrant, the queer person, the bipoc folk…they are on the side of Satan.” (21:35)

5. The George Soros Boogeyman & Right-wing Propaganda (25:00–27:35)

• Fox News and politicians push the lie that protests are funded by “George Soros.”
• April debunks this, using personal experience with peaceful protests smeared as outside-funded, violent events.
• Tim points out the antisemitic undertones of Soros conspiracy rhetoric.

6. Christian Nationalism: Defining the Ideology (29:12–31:47)

• April offers a concise definition of Christian nationalism—the blending of right-wing political ideology and Christian faith to force “biblical” (conservative) policy.
• Notes that most Christian nationalists don’t label themselves as such, seeing themselves as simply “good Christians” who vote Republican.

7. Authoritarianism: Evidence & Examples from Trump’s Presidency (43:52–52:08)

• Tim and April list concrete examples of Trump’s autocratic actions, including:
  • Deploying military forces against states’ wishes.
  • Bypassing Congress with tariffs.
  • Pursuing political prosecutions, firing officials for not spinning data.
  • Restricting university and media freedoms.
  • Rolling back civil rights, attacking due process, and mass deportations (including the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia—deported by error and then fabricated as an MS-13 gang member).
• “If not king, why king-shaped?” – April, noting the pattern of monarchic behavior.

8. Data Dive: Who Supports Trump? (53:00–60:28)

• Tim presents recent PRRI data:
  • White evangelicals are the most steadfast Trump supporters (76% approve of his job), also the most supportive of draconian policies on immigration and agency cuts.
  • Contrasted with other religious and demographic groups, white evangelical Protestants are statistical outliers.
• Tim: “If you are a white evangelical Christian, you most likely are cheering on all this shit that is happening in America.”

9. Christianity, Salvation & Trump’s “I’m not Heaven Bound” (61:20–70:46)

• Trump claims he doesn’t expect to go to heaven, which Christian influencers then twist as evidence of “humble” or “theologically correct” thinking.
• April and Tim call out the double standard:
  • “I believe that being gay is not sinful…and they would say ‘well you can’t believe that’…there actually is a framework of having not just right belief but right action, who you vote for, what policies you want to see…”
• Discuss the cheap grace and “salvation by prayer” doctrine used to excuse Trump’s behavior.

10. GOP, Leaked Nazi Texts, and the Normalization of Fascism (76:32–88:46)

• Coverage of leaked group chats from young GOP officials with explicit pro-Nazi and racist jokes.
• J.D. Vance defends: “Don’t focus on what kids say in group chats… kids do stupid things, especially young boys. They tell edgy, offensive jokes. Like, that’s what kids do.” (81:43)
• Tim and April note this is not “free speech,” or “just jokes,” but an alarming sign of fascist normalization—echoing early Nazi Germany.
• Tim: “The reason why scholars…are freaking the fuck out is because they’ve seen the same playbook used in Nazi Germany. They know where we are heading. That’s what scares all of us people.”

11. Personal Reflections: Faith, Betrayal, and the Fight for Justice (90:23–92:20)

• Both hosts reflect on their evangelical upbringing and sense of pain and betrayal watching their former faith communities support authoritarianism.
• Tim: “We can look through history…how the church was also used in Nazi Germany to baptize what the Nazis did…the reason why April and I are so outspoken is because we can see where we are headed.”
• April: “You cannot follow Jesus, the teachings of Jesus, while also following the teachings of Trump, because they are in direct conflict.”

12. [Comic Relief] – “Weird Christian” Segment (93:12–98:14)

• Skit critique: Christian influencer warns that watching Halloween movies lets demons into your life; Tim and April lampoon the over-the-top, fear-driven message versus actual Christian teaching.
• April: “All year, evangelicals are like ‘faith over fear’…then as soon as it’s October, suddenly demons can come through the TV if you watch something scary.”

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• Tim:

  • “He’s literally shitting on American citizens exercising their First Amendment rights.” (15:06)
  • “Every accusation is a confession…They do not care that they’re hypocritical.” (18:48)
  • “If you are a white evangelical Christian, you most likely are cheering on all this shit that is happening in America.” (56:34)

• April:

  • “We were there, it was 100% peaceful…protesting, which is a beautiful thing, I think.” (05:10)
  • “They can’t accept the fact that…some people used to be Republican, are still Christian, read the teachings of Jesus objectively and realize you cannot follow the teachings of Jesus while supporting the MAGA movement.” (09:16)
  • “You cannot follow Jesus, the teachings of Jesus, while also following the teachings of Trump, because they are in direct conflict.” (92:20)

• On White Evangelical Support:

  • Tim: “White Evangelical Protestants are the source—the funding, the networking, the promotion, the theological justification, everything. They are the reason we have Trump today. There is no way around it.” (60:07)

• On Leaked GOP Nazi Texts:

  • Tim: “The reason why scholars…are freaking the fuck out is because they’ve seen the same playbook used in Nazi Germany. They know where we are heading…” (84:38 onward)

Important Timestamps

• [05:05] April describes attending No Kings protest
• [07:34] No evidence of protest violence; online harassment
• [15:06] Trump’s AI “sh*tting on protestors” video
• [21:35] On Christian nationalist worldview and “the enemy”
• [25:00] Fox News, George Soros funding conspiracy
• [29:12] Christian nationalism defined
• [43:52] Listing Trump’s authoritarian actions
• [53:00] Data: who supports Trump, white evangelical breakdown
• [61:20] Trump’s “I’m not going to heaven” quote and evangelical spin
• [76:32] GOP’s leaked Nazi group chat texts and responses
• [90:23] Tim’s emotional reflection on betrayal by evangelical community
• [93:12] “Weird Christian” segment comic relief

Final Thoughts

Tim and April argue that the current moment—including overt authoritarianism, right-wing propaganda, and Christian nationalism—is a direct result of choices made by the white evangelical community, undergirded by decades of propaganda and normalization of antidemocratic ideas in both faith and politics. They challenge listeners, especially former and current Christians, to speak up, organize, and reclaim the faith for love, justice, and pluralism.

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End of Episode.