How Christians propelled Trump to victory — and why Democrats will continue to lose
Donald Trump won the White House because he earned a historically significant share of votes from Hispanics, black men, young Americans, and the working class.
But there’s one group of voters who broadly supported Trump that has received “virtually no attention,” according to George Barna, director of the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University: Christians.
‘Donald Trump, for all of his perceived and ridiculed faults, did a better job than did Kamala Harris of representing hallowed Christian characteristics.’
Barna’s post-election research found that Trump won 56% of the vote from self-identified Christians. That may not sound like a large number, but according to the CRC, because Christians represented a whopping 72% of voters who participated in the election, their majority support helped propel Trump to victory.
Vice President Kamala Harris, on the other hand, won only 43% of the vote among self-identified Christians.
“Thanks to relentless Christian-bashing by the mainstream media, as well as the dramatic impact of today’s culture on the lives of Christians, Americans forget that two-thirds of adults in this nation consider themselves to be Christians,” Barna observed.
The reason, then, why Christians supported Trump over Harris is simple: His agenda aligns better with Christian values.
“Donald Trump, for all of his perceived and ridiculed faults, did a better job than did Kamala Harris of representing hallowed Christian characteristics of family, the rule of law, limited government authority, financial responsibility, and the like,” Barna explained. “In contrast, Vice President Harris’s doubling down on abortion-on-demand, open borders, transgenderism, and central tenets of socialistic governance clashed with the core values of the nation’s dominant spiritual perspectives.”
“Millions of President Trump’s votes came from people who would not vote for him as the nation’s pastor or as a behavioral model for their children, but who perceived he would protect their traditional, cherished values and lifestyle preferences while Mrs. Harris was more likely to limit or ban such ways of life,” he noted.
The strong Christian support for Trump highlights a shifting attitude among Christian voters, specifically concerning a political candidate’s character.
For years, bad-faith critics have argued that Trump-supporting Christians are hypocrites because of Trump’s history of questionable character decisions, including his multiple marriages and allegations of adultery.
‘In today’s climate, the character that matters most is embedded in the policies our leaders support.’
But Pastor Erik Reed argued in an essay for Blaze Media that while character still matters, it is now outweighed by the categorical policy differences between Republicans and Democrats.
“To be clear, we still want leaders with strong character. But when both parties present candidates with moral failings, we must prioritize other factors. For many, the question has become, ‘Who will support policies that reflect the character we want to see in our society?'” Reed wrote. “This shift is not about justifying sin or minimizing integrity; it’s about the stakes in today’s political landscape.”
If we understand the changing political landscape, it becomes clear how policies actually reflect a candidate’s — and a political party’s — character.
“Policies reflect a form of collective character. They determine the moral and ethical direction of society,” Reed argued. “Today, policies reflect values that will shape the future, determine rights and freedoms, and frame the moral fabric of the nation.”
“So does character matter? Absolutely. But in today’s climate, the character that matters most is embedded in the policies our leaders support. That’s not hypocrisy; it’s an adaptation to a political landscape where our values face unprecedented challenges,” he explained. “In this environment, we must weigh the complete character of a candidate — both his personal life and the values his policies will bring to the country.”
If Reed is right, the future implications are clear: more losing for Democrats.
Until the Democratic Party realizes it is out of touch with most Americans and drifting only further into the abyss, Republicans will continue to win.
As this last election proved, Republicans are better aligned with not only Christian voters but the majority of the voting population.
