<![CDATA[🧵Trump's war against Pope Leo is about something far larger than his foreign wars, it's actually a struggle for control of American Christianity.]]>🧵Trump's war against Pope Leo is about something far larger than his foreign wars, it's actually a struggle for control of American Christianity.

This thread will summarize the main points of my latest essay about how Trumpism is a replacement Christianity. Continue or click through:
https://flux.community/matthew-sheffield/2026/04/trump-hates-pope-leo-because-he-sees-himself-as-the-real-vicar-of-christ/

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/topic/52b675df-8118-444a-aa91-86fca0e370c6/trump-s-war-against-pope-leo-is-about-something-far-larger-than-his-foreign-wars-it-s-actually-a-struggle-for-control-of-american-christianity.RSS for NodeThu, 30 Apr 2026 21:22:11 GMTFri, 17 Apr 2026 20:32:10 GMT60<![CDATA[Reply to 🧵Trump's war against Pope Leo is about something far larger than his foreign wars, it's actually a struggle for control of American Christianity. on Sun, 19 Apr 2026 02:07:24 GMT]]>@meltedcheese As a former Republican and religious fundamentalist, I can say that your analysis has merit. But a lot of people are loyal to him, not because they expect help, but because he hates the same people they do. Others just never get talked to by a politician on the left, so they have a biased viewpoint.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/mattsheffield/statuses/116428927455217325https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/mattsheffield/statuses/116428927455217325Sun, 19 Apr 2026 02:07:24 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to 🧵Trump's war against Pope Leo is about something far larger than his foreign wars, it's actually a struggle for control of American Christianity. on Sat, 18 Apr 2026 19:29:23 GMT]]>@mattsheffield

Trump was at Jesus's birth not to celebrate it, but to tell Stephen Miller to separate and deport his parents, and to send the newborn alone into the welcoming arms of Herod the Great.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mstdn.social/users/huntingdon/statuses/116427362358120412https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mstdn.social/users/huntingdon/statuses/116427362358120412Sat, 18 Apr 2026 19:29:23 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to 🧵Trump's war against Pope Leo is about something far larger than his foreign wars, it's actually a struggle for control of American Christianity. on Sat, 18 Apr 2026 17:55:27 GMT]]>@mattsheffield Very interesting thread. Here is my thought , which (if valid) offers some hope.

The “prosperity gospel” should have been more of a warning of the rise of Trump, specifically, of the transactional nature of the far right Christian nationalist system. “You do this for me and I’ll do that for you” is why we see uber-wealthy, unapologetic televangelists and no pushback from their congregations. Pictures of Trump at the manger are part of the deal, not necessarily reflective of deeply held beliefs. Trump’s free fall plunge in approval rating tells us the deal has fallen apart. He can’t and didn’t deliver, indeed, had no intention of doing so. Trump has always been a grifter. They are still poor and for many, life and opportunity is worse. If they had a deeply held, self-reinforcing belief system it would be more robust to contradiction.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://c.im/users/meltedcheese/statuses/116426993022924892https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://c.im/users/meltedcheese/statuses/116426993022924892Sat, 18 Apr 2026 17:55:27 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to 🧵Trump's war against Pope Leo is about something far larger than his foreign wars, it's actually a struggle for control of American Christianity. on Sat, 18 Apr 2026 14:47:20 GMT]]>@mattsheffield The is a movement of fake that are more appropriately described as .

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mstdn.science/users/ChemicalEyeGuy/statuses/116426253317478909https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mstdn.science/users/ChemicalEyeGuy/statuses/116426253317478909Sat, 18 Apr 2026 14:47:20 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to 🧵Trump's war against Pope Leo is about something far larger than his foreign wars, it's actually a struggle for control of American Christianity. on Sat, 18 Apr 2026 13:47:33 GMT]]>@mattsheffield And then also: "Avoiding STDs in 1990s Manhattan, Trump memorably clarified, was 'my personal Vietnam … I feel like a great and very brave soldier'."

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Is the pope Catholic? JD Vance thinks he has an answer | Marina Hyde

When it comes to theology, Donald Trump’s vice-president clearly knows best. Are we about to see an American break with Rome, asks Guardian columnist Marina Hyde

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the Guardian (www.theguardian.com)

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://sigmoid.social/users/spdrnl/statuses/116426018202408972https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://sigmoid.social/users/spdrnl/statuses/116426018202408972Sat, 18 Apr 2026 13:47:33 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to 🧵Trump's war against Pope Leo is about something far larger than his foreign wars, it's actually a struggle for control of American Christianity. on Sat, 18 Apr 2026 12:52:51 GMT]]>@mattsheffield

Remaking evangelism into what he has is not that big of a shift. Change a few words out you have slightly different iconography.. and Shazam do you have Trumpism?

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://masto.ai/users/GhostOnTheHalfShell/statuses/116425803127489303https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://masto.ai/users/GhostOnTheHalfShell/statuses/116425803127489303Sat, 18 Apr 2026 12:52:51 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to 🧵Trump's war against Pope Leo is about something far larger than his foreign wars, it's actually a struggle for control of American Christianity. on Sat, 18 Apr 2026 11:41:07 GMT]]>@mattsheffield I get the distinct impression that Trump could drop the act altogether and just address Evangelicals directly with "I am the literal Beast that Revelation talks about, come get my mark on your forehead, if you don't you're a radical liberal" and a significant number of them would just form an orderly queue.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/dresstokilt/statuses/116425521041690472https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/dresstokilt/statuses/116425521041690472Sat, 18 Apr 2026 11:41:07 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to 🧵Trump's war against Pope Leo is about something far larger than his foreign wars, it's actually a struggle for control of American Christianity. on Sat, 18 Apr 2026 09:16:27 GMT]]>@mattsheffield so tRumph is a megalomaniac and has god-delusions too. He is becoming more dangerous by the minute. Time for the straight jacket. He’s completely off his rocker.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/jaypeach53/statuses/116424952228263307https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/jaypeach53/statuses/116424952228263307Sat, 18 Apr 2026 09:16:27 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to 🧵Trump's war against Pope Leo is about something far larger than his foreign wars, it's actually a struggle for control of American Christianity. on Sat, 18 Apr 2026 09:12:11 GMT]]>@mattsheffield does Pope Leo _really_ commands the loyalty of US Catholics?

These does not match my experience of roman catholics anywhere in the world.

At best, he's an influence.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/riffraff/statuses/116424935468284040https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/riffraff/statuses/116424935468284040Sat, 18 Apr 2026 09:12:11 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to 🧵Trump's war against Pope Leo is about something far larger than his foreign wars, it's actually a struggle for control of American Christianity. on Sat, 18 Apr 2026 07:23:56 GMT]]>@mattsheffield And he holds a shepherd's crook, a tool and symbol of care and protection.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/ap/users/116350895220535667/statuses/116424509808276905https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/ap/users/116350895220535667/statuses/116424509808276905Sat, 18 Apr 2026 07:23:56 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to 🧵Trump's war against Pope Leo is about something far larger than his foreign wars, it's actually a struggle for control of American Christianity. on Sat, 18 Apr 2026 06:35:15 GMT]]>@mattsheffield kinda feel like this belongs here
https://hachyderm.io/@mogul/116412768335463383

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://hachyderm.io/users/mogul/statuses/116424318360485792https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://hachyderm.io/users/mogul/statuses/116424318360485792Sat, 18 Apr 2026 06:35:15 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to 🧵Trump's war against Pope Leo is about something far larger than his foreign wars, it's actually a struggle for control of American Christianity. on Sat, 18 Apr 2026 05:11:32 GMT]]>@mattsheffield @inthehands There is no Sky-Daddy. The bible is a work of fiction. Religion causes war. Tax all churches.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/donhawkins/statuses/116423989165985712https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/donhawkins/statuses/116423989165985712Sat, 18 Apr 2026 05:11:32 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to 🧵Trump's war against Pope Leo is about something far larger than his foreign wars, it's actually a struggle for control of American Christianity. on Sat, 18 Apr 2026 01:21:00 GMT]]>@mattsheffield I've always known Chump was an evil moron, but now I'm like, "Anti-Christ?" Oh... Now things are making much more sense. Damn this guy!

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/ap/users/116349615075745753/statuses/116423082646493372https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/ap/users/116349615075745753/statuses/116423082646493372Sat, 18 Apr 2026 01:21:00 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to 🧵Trump's war against Pope Leo is about something far larger than his foreign wars, it's actually a struggle for control of American Christianity. on Fri, 17 Apr 2026 23:58:44 GMT]]>@mattsheffield https://toolsforthought.social/@billseitz/116422246645356989

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://toolsforthought.social/users/billseitz/statuses/116422759180769847https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://toolsforthought.social/users/billseitz/statuses/116422759180769847Fri, 17 Apr 2026 23:58:44 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to 🧵Trump's war against Pope Leo is about something far larger than his foreign wars, it's actually a struggle for control of American Christianity. on Fri, 17 Apr 2026 23:57:31 GMT]]>@mattsheffield seems familiar

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]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://toolsforthought.social/users/billseitz/statuses/116422754387553608https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://toolsforthought.social/users/billseitz/statuses/116422754387553608Fri, 17 Apr 2026 23:57:31 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to 🧵Trump's war against Pope Leo is about something far larger than his foreign wars, it's actually a struggle for control of American Christianity. on Fri, 17 Apr 2026 23:47:08 GMT]]>@donray Yes, awful.

I did note it in the essay fwiw. But it's 3800 words so I could only summarize so much here.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/mattsheffield/statuses/116422713567698826https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/mattsheffield/statuses/116422713567698826Fri, 17 Apr 2026 23:47:08 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to 🧵Trump's war against Pope Leo is about something far larger than his foreign wars, it's actually a struggle for control of American Christianity. on Fri, 17 Apr 2026 23:37:48 GMT]]>@mattsheffield

Suddenly cutting funding to Catholic Charities in Miami is a typical, petty, and cruel tRump move. Happened earlier this week.
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/immigration/article315410233.html

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.online/users/donray/statuses/116422676856245302https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.online/users/donray/statuses/116422676856245302Fri, 17 Apr 2026 23:37:48 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to 🧵Trump's war against Pope Leo is about something far larger than his foreign wars, it's actually a struggle for control of American Christianity. on Fri, 17 Apr 2026 22:33:59 GMT]]>PS: Trump is also doing the exact same thing regarding Judaism. He sees himself as the rightful leader of all American Jews, even though he is not Jewish

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Trump accused of antisemitism for saying Jewish Democrats hate their religion and Israel | CBC News

Former U.S. president Donald Trump has charged that Jews who vote for Democrats "hate Israel" and hate "their religion," igniting a firestorm of criticism from the White House and Jewish leaders.

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CBC (www.cbc.ca)

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/mattsheffield/statuses/116422425954794322https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/mattsheffield/statuses/116422425954794322Fri, 17 Apr 2026 22:33:59 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to 🧵Trump's war against Pope Leo is about something far larger than his foreign wars, it's actually a struggle for control of American Christianity. on Fri, 17 Apr 2026 21:21:54 GMT]]>@mattsheffield As soon as you spend your life believing made up stuff is real and kowtowing to authority then you are primed to believe any made up stuff and kowtow.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/level98/statuses/116422142466757649https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/level98/statuses/116422142466757649Fri, 17 Apr 2026 21:21:54 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to 🧵Trump's war against Pope Leo is about something far larger than his foreign wars, it's actually a struggle for control of American Christianity. on Fri, 17 Apr 2026 21:00:04 GMT]]>@MisuseCase I also predicted he would win the nomination in 2015. No one in journalism believed me.

But I did get it wrong in the general election also. Many Republican elites at that time thought he would lose to Clinton as well.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/mattsheffield/statuses/116422056658132611https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/mattsheffield/statuses/116422056658132611Fri, 17 Apr 2026 21:00:04 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to 🧵Trump's war against Pope Leo is about something far larger than his foreign wars, it's actually a struggle for control of American Christianity. on Fri, 17 Apr 2026 20:57:52 GMT]]>@mattsheffield “[C]hoices by GOP elites and voters ultimately led to the rise of Donald Trump, an event which many political observers couldn’t anticipate.”

Woo hahaha Trump winning the 2016 Republican primary was not a surprise to me *at all.* I started paying attention to national politics when Newt Gringrich was the face of the GOP and they kept getting worse after that!

Him winning the general election was a really nasty shock though.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://twit.social/users/MisuseCase/statuses/116422047995517106https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://twit.social/users/MisuseCase/statuses/116422047995517106Fri, 17 Apr 2026 20:57:52 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to 🧵Trump's war against Pope Leo is about something far larger than his foreign wars, it's actually a struggle for control of American Christianity. on Fri, 17 Apr 2026 20:48:55 GMT]]>@MisuseCase Yes, that person is exactly right. So much of evangelical culture is literally Confederate ideology described in Christian symbols. I've done several pieces on it. Here's one: https://flux.community/matthew-sheffield/2021/08/southern-strategy-changed-how-white-southerners-voted-it-also-changed

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/mattsheffield/statuses/116422012766611995https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/mattsheffield/statuses/116422012766611995Fri, 17 Apr 2026 20:48:55 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to 🧵Trump's war against Pope Leo is about something far larger than his foreign wars, it's actually a struggle for control of American Christianity. on Fri, 17 Apr 2026 20:46:03 GMT]]>@mattsheffield eventually all American Christians are going to have to choose: the fascist or the Lord?

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://indieweb.social/users/akamran/statuses/116422001544122032https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://indieweb.social/users/akamran/statuses/116422001544122032Fri, 17 Apr 2026 20:46:03 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to 🧵Trump's war against Pope Leo is about something far larger than his foreign wars, it's actually a struggle for control of American Christianity. on Fri, 17 Apr 2026 20:43:45 GMT]]>@mattsheffield I used to follow someone on Twitter who grew up in (and escaped from) an Evangelical family and one of their frequent Twitter topics was how straight-up evil Evangelicals and their beliefs actually were.

They said liberals mock Evangelicals but mostly didn’t understand what they were really about and needed to take them much more seriously.

(They’re on Fedi but I don’t think they want to be dragged into this conversation.)

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://twit.social/users/MisuseCase/statuses/116421992464538943https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://twit.social/users/MisuseCase/statuses/116421992464538943Fri, 17 Apr 2026 20:43:45 GMT