Peter Doocey, a reporter riding on Air Force One with President Donald Trump on their way home from Israel where Trump had just negotiated a peace deal between Israel and Palestine, asked the President a key question.
“You had talked a couple weeks ago, you were doing an interview and you talked about how you hoped to end the war in Ukraine because you hoped it might help you get into heaven. How does this help? Does this help?”
That’s a sincere and personal question for a man that is known for his lack of humility, but who has of late become more outspoken about his faith. Whether his words are sincere or political staging is a different question I won’t attempt to answer here. We all have a duty to judge the words of our government leaders for truthfulness, but I don’t think we can truly know the condition of his heart beyond the fruits of his labors.
What we can do, however, is study the man and his statements and responses for whether we will trust their sincerity for how they impact us as Americans. We can pray for President Trump, both because he leads our nation, and because he is our brother in Christ and we wouldn’t want anyone to have anything less than salvation.
I’ve heard it said by several different people who have had private encounters with President Trump that he is the same man in public that he is in private. They say he speaks to you on personal terms and treats your questions and your time as valuable. So when Peter Doocey asked this obviously private question while acting as a reporter and with cameras running, it’s interesting to see how President Trump responded.
“I mean, I’m being, you know, a little cute. I don’t think there’s anything going to get me into heaven. Okay? I really don’t. I think, I think I’m not maybe heaven bound.I may be in heaven right now as we fly Air Force One. I’m not sure if I’m going to be able to make heaven, but I’ve made life a lot better for a lot of people. And, you know, as an example, had the election of 2020 not been rigged, you would have millions of people living, just in Russia-Ukraine alone.”
The context and the statement make me want to better understand Trump’s meaning, his heart, and his understanding of the doctrine of salvation. Honestly, I’ve been in his shoes before. Not as leader of the free world, but as a man who both believed he was a damned soul, and a man who thought my deeds had a contributing factor to both why I wouldn’t make it to heaven and how I could change them to maybe get there. To better understand his heart on these things, I’ll reference another recent quote about the condition of his heart. At the Charlie Kirk memorial, President Trump confessed and perhaps made light of the fact that his heart is not in the right place when it comes to his enemies.
“[Charlie Kirk] 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! I am sorry, Erika. But now Erika can talk to me, or the whole group, and maybe they can convince me that that’s not right, but I can’t stand my opponent. … Charlie is angry, he’s angry looking down at me. He wasn’t interested in demonizing anyone. He was interested in persuading everyone to the ideas and principles he believed were good, right, and true. Before each appearance he prayed these words: “God, use me for Your will. Always said the same thing, “Use me for Your will. And that is exactly what God did, wouldn’t you think? That’s exactly what He did.”
These words coming from Trump at Charlie’s memorial service have been seen by many as terrible. The media highlighted, bolded, and italicized Trump’s words: “I Hate My Opponent.” Perhaps they were right to do that. These were his words. If only the president had not provided any context, I think that would be a fair assessment of an angry and unremorseful man. Fortunately for us, the president did provide context and in his larger-than-life way, he half laughed his way through it, repeating it, and intermingling it with apologies, acknowledgments of how wrong it is, and even inviting Charlie’s wife to help him see things differently. Does President Trump know that it’s wrong to hate his enemy? Obviously so. Is he open to being persuaded away from his current position? Apparently. Another, just as relevant question: Is God able to use a man that wants his enemies to fail for His purposes?
God used a man that had some very serious weaknesses and issues to rule a kingdom, and even made King David’s descendant Jesus Christ. David committed adultery with Bathsheba, and orchestrated the murder of her husband Uriah. In President Trump’s short nine months in office he has facilitated peace deals or cease fires including:
- Israel and Palestine (October)
- Armenia and Azerbaijan (August)
- Rwanda and Congo (June)
- Israel and Iran (June)
- India and Pakistan (May)
- Cambodia and Thailand (August)
- Serbia and Kosovo (Aug)
- Egypt and Ethiopia (Sept)
With this recent events in mind, I’m reminded of Matthew 5:9, which reads, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” Do I look to President Trump as a reverent man? Surely not. In fact, we frequently hear people use the preface, “I’m not perfect but…” no one on earth would accuse Donald Trump of being perfect. But bringing peace to nations like this makes me think he may well be the perfect man for the job he is in.
It’s clear that President Trump needs to repent of his anger toward his opponents. It’s not healthy for the soul to wish the worst for anyone. Can you imagine how much more effective he would be as leader of the free world if he actively sought to uplift and strengthen his opponents while also working to “Stop people from dying”? He has said repeatedly that one of his biggest objectives in Ukraine is to stop people from dying. I’ve seen countless celebrations online of Russian soldiers being killed, many likely husbands and fathers. All certainly sons. President Trump has made it a major part of his campaign and his presidency to end the war in Ukraine and end the ugliest parts of war. For that, he gets called a Putin puppet. How sad are the hearts of those that celebrate death and war and mock the man trying to end this war.
To me, it is clear that President Trump knows he must love his enemy and want his opponent to do well. I personally don’t know how one would be as effective at presenting force as the alternative to peace, and still openly seek their enemies to be blessed. I’m sure it’s possible. God commanded it, so it is surely possible. Just not common. If it were easy to achieve, it probably wouldn’t have been so passionately commanded by the Living Jesus Christ. Still, I do hope that Erika Kirk and her team or others with whom President Trump interacts can help him partake of the truthfulness of the Lord’s commands. I can hope for a president that prays with his enemies and seeks their good of those that hate us.
Even then, though, is that going to earn Donald John Trump a place in heaven? Absolutely not. Nothing he can do will undo the damage he has done with his sins. He has transgressed, proven himself flawed in many ways, and been about as greedy as one can be – so I’ve heard. Sure, he has done many good things – even contrary to each of his sins. He has helped the poor, loved his beautiful wife, donated to good causes, apologized, and much more. And on top of things that might he might think would reverse some of his sins, he has literally brought peace to multiple continents. He has helped countless people with smart solutions during a government shut-down to keep mothers and babies fed and military personal provided for. He has objectively done a lot of good. And yet, he has fallen exactly as far short of the Glory of God and I have. And you, too. “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” (Romans 3:23-24).
If you read that second verse, you catch the most important lesson one like Donald Trump can learn. Just as surely as Trump has sinned against God and found himself infinitely short of the righteous bar Christ set, he is also squarely in the righteous arms of our Mighty Savior! Jesus Christ’s sacrifice is sufficient even for a man like Trump. Even for a man like me. Even for one like you.
Now, as President Trump continues his mission to be remembered as a “great president,” I pray that he learns also that he will never do enough to earn a place in heaven, and also that he begins to understand that His place at the right hand of Jesus Christ was secured by the works of the Savior some 2,000 years ago.