Imagine former President Joe Biden, a devout Catholic, posting a social media meme riffing off The Blues Brothers movie and declaring he’s “on a mission from God.”
Conservatives would have lost their ever-loving minds. This would have been further evidence to them that Biden is sacrilegious and “woke,” hates evangelicals and wants to kill babies.
But when their guy — the most irreligious president in modern American history — posts just such a meme, those same conservatives accuse everyone else of not being able to get a joke.
Evangelical Trump Hypocrisy Syndrome strikes again.
What started this episode is Trump posting on his Truth Social platform a large black—and-white image of himself wearing a black trench coat and walking down a dark city street. The top headline blares: “He’s on a mission from God.” A bottom subhead reads: “And nothing can stop what is coming.”
Although the headline is a riff on the Blues Brothers, the image looks more like The Godfather. It is clearly threatening in intent and in tone. Just the way MAGA likes to “stick it to the libs.”
So what do you suppose happened when New York Times columnist David French posted Trump’s meme on X and called it “incredibly dangerous?”
Three predictable things happened: (1) The few remaining liberals and moderates on X agreed with him; (2) MAGA supporters piled on and called French a snowflake who can’t take a joke; and (3) a few pastors with blinders on ignored the real issue and declared, “Everyone is on a mission from God.”
Ugh.
Once again, this is where we are in America today. Those who claim to be the most devout Christians, the most loyal patriots and superior role models for children can’t recognize blasphemy when they see it.
French said it well: “Trump is infusing his own megalomania with delusional divine sanction. Christians should find this borderline blasphemous. Instead, all too many agree . . . and cheer.”
Here’s a sample of some of the responses French’s post got:
- “It’s a meme, Dave. Calm down.”
- “In an absurd world such as ours, we are expected to see the humor in this and not take it literally. Trump uses a subtle, self-deprecating sense of humor to provoke a reaction. We give it to him every time.”
- “It’s a movie line.”
- “Important to always remember that separation of church and state was first about the health of the church.”
- “I see your time marinating in lib group think over at BlueSky has been good for you. Welcome back!”
- “David blocked me so I can’t respond but you’d think a so-called ‘evangelical’ would be familiar with Romans 13:1, which says ‘Let every person be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except by God, and those that exist are instituted by God …’”
- “I don’t agree with it, but it’s nowhere near as bad as you made it.”
- “I agree there should be a level of caution. I also agree we were all created by God to be on mission to love people and point them to Christ. And what comes from that is a transformed life that has peace and joy.”
Pepe the Frog
Most interesting of all, however, is this little fact, pointed out by one astute commenter: “You’re ignoring Pepe the Frog, a symbol of QAnon and white supremacists, and the ‘nothing can stop what is coming’ QAnon slogan. Those weren’t accidental.”
Sure enough, back on the sidewalk in the shadows lurks Pepe the Frog, which according to Wikipedia “was appropriated from 2015 onward as a symbol of the alt-right white nationalist movement,” causing the Anti-Defamation League to include Pepe in its hate symbol database in 2016. Against its creator’s wishes, the frog has been appropriated by Trump supporters since 2016.
And sure enough, the phrase “Nothing can stop what is coming” is associated with a QAnon conspiracy theory. As a refresher in the midst of all the madness, QAnon followers believe a cabal of Satan-worshipping pedophiles runs a global child sex-trafficking ring and that Trump is the only one who can stop them. They believe in an upcoming event called “The Storm,” where Trump will expose and arrest his political opponents, leading to a “day of reckoning.”
“Nothing can stop what is coming” signals the belief this “day of reckoning” is inevitable. It is so common in QAnon circles that it has its own acronym: NCSWIC.
Much like the other controversial memes Trump has shared on social media — remember Trump as pope? — there’s no evidence where this one originated. But one thing is clear: The president of the United States thinks it’s worth sharing.
And that’s no joke.
But here’s another reality: We can stop what’s coming. And indeed we must.
Mark Wingfield
Mark Wingfield serves as executive director and publisher of Baptist News Global. He is the author of five books, including Honestly: Telling the Truth About the Bible and Ourselves.
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