Divine intervention? 'Politics in the Pews' looks at impact of Trump's assassination attempt on Evangelicals
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The groundbreaking podcast “Politics in the Pews” recently delved into how, in the span of just 30 days, the 2024 race for the White House experienced a seismic shift, triggered by a shocking event that many believe was marked by divine intervention.
In the latest episode of the series, titled “Blood on the Campaign Trail,” host and Christian Post reporter Ian Giatti recounts how, on July 13, at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, former President Donald Trump narrowly escaped an assassination attempt that claimed the life of 50-year-old former fire chief Corey Comperatore and left two others seriously wounded.
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The bullet that hit Trump's right ear came within millimeters of taking his life, prompting the 77-year-old to attribute his survival to divine providence.
"This has been our best campaign, and then I got shot. How does that happen? But I got lucky. God was with me," Trump remarked in his first public comments following the shooting.
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Days later, during his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Trump dramatically recounted the event, acknowledging that he felt a sense of safety because he believed he had God on his side.
According to Giatti, historically, there have been 17 assassination attempts against U.S. presidents or presidential candidates, five of which resulted in death. While Trump survived this attempt, the incident did not occur in isolation, but followed a tumultuous period in the campaign. It came just days after President Joe Biden's poor debate performance, which spurred calls from within his party for him to step aside in favor of Vice President Kamala Harris.
The political fallout from Biden's debate debacle and the assassination attempt on Trump intensified the already heated campaign atmosphere. Biden faced criticism for using charged language against Trump, with some Republican lawmakers drawing parallels to previous attacks he had made against Trump, including calling him a "threat to democracy" and his supporters "extremists."
Giatti recounted how, in the aftermath of the shooting, Evangelical leaders and conservative commentators flooded the airwaves and social media with declarations of divine intervention.
Pastor Greg Laurie criticized the media's demonization of Trump and his supporters, calling for a de-escalation of political rhetoric. Similarly, Pastor Jentezen Franklin of Free Chapel in Georgia and Calvary Chapel's Pastor Jack Hibbs saw “prophetic significance” in the fact that Trump was hit in the right ear, likening it to Old Testament priestly rituals involving blood.
Meanwhile, Evangelical leader Johnny Moore described the incident as a "miracle," while conservative commentator Tucker Carlson credited divine intervention with saving Trump's life, suggesting that the event had a profound impact on Trump's personal and political trajectory.
However, not all reactions were supportive. Washington Post editor and MSNBC host Jonathan Capehart expressed concern over the deification of Trump by his supporters, and theologian Justin Peters suggested that while God protected Trump, it did not necessarily involve direct intervention.
“So was this an act of God?” Giatti asked. “And can the sparing of Trump's life still be considered a miracle with the loss of firefighter Corey Comperatore and the wounding of two other people?”
Ralph Reed, president of the Faith and Freedom Coalition, expressed gratitude for what he saw as the grace of God in sparing Trump's life: “'I’m extremely grateful to the good Lord for sparing his life, and I believe, as President Trump said, that he's alive today by the grace of God,” he said.
“I don't claim to understand it. I don't claim to understand why he survived and others were hit and seriously injured, and one lost their life, but I certainly believe that he's alive today because the good Lord was looking out for him,” he added.
Giatti pointed out that the shooting had a unifying effect on the GOP, similar to the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, bringing together a fractured party in the face of adversity.
The attempted assassination also seemed to spark a change in Trump himself, Giatti added. Trump began to publicly credit God with saving his life. In fact, during his RNC acceptance speech, Trump called for unity and civility in the wake of the shooting — a significant shift from his previous rhetoric and his “public caricature.”
Giatti closed the podcast with a question: As the 2024 race continues, will Trump’s brush with mortality have a lasting impact on his view of eternity and his approach to leadership?
“In an election cycle unlike any other one, which is anything but politics as usual — as with most of God's promises, it looks like we'll just have to wait and see,” he said.
