Trump’s Appeal to the Religious Right

In an article written by Jerome Socolovsky and Emily McFarlan Miller for Religion News Service, the manner in which Donald Trump’s inauguration is addressed. One aspect among many that was unusual for an inauguration was Trump’s insistence on various clergy members; six clergy members—more than any other inauguration before—participated in the spectacle, offering different prayers and readings. Along with the overwhelming amount of clergy members participating in Trumps swearing-in ceremony, he also made the decision to place his hand on two bibles while taking the oath of office. Both bibles made for interesting choices; one of them being a family bible and the other the Lincoln bible, borrowed from the Library of Congress. Trump’s use of a family bible may seem surprising to some, considering how little information he has presented to the public about his own religious beliefs. However, the morning of the inauguration, Trump made a special point of attending a church service in what may be interpreted as a show of solidarity with his voters, most of whom are conservative members of the religious right. Countless religious Trump supporters were ecstatic for his inauguration, and found the ceremony especially customized to their religious standards when “…he briefly quoted Scripture, drawing on Psalm 133: ‘How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!'” (Socolovsky and McFarlan Miller, 1/20/17). Whatever Trump’s religious identity may be, his use of such an extravagant number of clergy members seemed to point to compensation on his part. if Trump can appease and maintain the idealization from his supporters—56% of whom attend religious services weekly—it can easily be assumed that he will keep them happy and feeling secure in their religiosity in whatever ways he can (Pew Research Center, http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/11/09/how-the-faithful-voted-a-preliminary-2016-analysis/ft_16-11-09_relig_exitpoll_attendance/).