Part of Donald Trump’s base believes that he is engaged in a spiritual battle.
In a hotel ballroom owned by Donald Trump, during a two-day event filled with conspiracy theories, I found myself losing track of what was happening. The audience was being urged to stop being “weak-kneed wussies” and to “join Team Jesus”, while also being warned about child traffickers and dangerous vaccines. However, what really threw me off was when a self-proclaimed prophet who resembled Ozzy Osbourne invited people to come forward to be healed.
Later, one of Mr. Trump’s sons took the stage. Worship music played and hundreds of hands were raised in prayer. Someone even blew a shofar, a Jewish ritual trumpet that is popular among certain charismatic Christians. Was this a Trump rally, a religious revival, or a gathering to discuss how globalists had used Covid-19 to suspend civil liberties? Perhaps it was all of those things. The person selling tickets over the phone, with a recommended price of $250 or pay what you can, only gave two instructions: no masks allowed and please leave guns in the car.
This event was part of the ReAwaken America tour, organized by Michael Flynn in response to protests against lockdowns and claims of election fraud. Michael Flynn, who previously served as Mr. Trump’s national security adviser, was prosecuted for lying to the FBI but later pardoned by Trump. This was the 21st edition of the event and the second one held at Trump’s hotel in Miami; previous stops across the country have mostly taken place in megachurches. Dozens of relatively unknown speakers are given around 15 minutes each to promote various threats for a continuous 15 hours. The tour is a mix of apocalyptic preaching, QAnon theories, and denial of the election results.
2023-10-18 15:36:05
Original from www.economist.com
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